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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. degree — an amount
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pound — a weight
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pitch — completely
  12. staff — employees
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. band — a ring
  18. bear — the animal
  19. staff — a stick
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. squash — to crush
  23. staff — employees
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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