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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. degree — temperature
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. can — a tin
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ball — a dance
  14. kid — child
  15. can — a tin
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rush — hurry
  20. mate — a friend
  21. kid — to tease
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. degree — an amount
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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