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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 124 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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. degree — from a university
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rush — hurry
  17. stem — to come from
  18. season — of the year
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. degree — an amount
  24. straw — a straw man

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