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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. deal — to handle
  3. club — a group
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tube — a container
  11. saw — the tool
  12. club — for golf
  13. degree — temperature
  14. last — final
  15. club — for dancing
  16. tube — the underground
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. degree — from a university
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. deal — an agreement

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com