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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. charge — in control
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. degree — temperature
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. degree — an amount
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. perch — the fish
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. charge — a price
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bear — the animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. file — a tool
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. file — a document
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. charge — electricity

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