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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. key — the most important part
  4. degree — temperature
  5. key — in music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. game — a match
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rock — music
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. key — for a lock
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fall — the season
  21. rock — a stone
  22. fall — to drop
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. game — a kind of play

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