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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. degree — temperature
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. fine — all right
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. suit — to fit
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. suit — in cards
  16. degree — an amount
  17. club — for golf
  18. fine — high quality
  19. suit — clothes
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. degree — from a university
  22. last — finally
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. saw — the tool

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