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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bat — the animal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bound — certain
  9. fall — to drop
  10. degree — temperature
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. squash — to crush
  13. degree — an amount
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fall — the season
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bank — for money
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bank — for money
  24. bound — tied together

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