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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. can — to be able to
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — an amount
  6. spring — of water
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. craft — boats
  9. press — to push
  10. craft — a skill
  11. press — newspapers
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. degree — from a university
  14. press — a publisher
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. can — a tin
  18. spring — a coil
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. spring — the season
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. can — a tin
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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