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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. deal — to handle
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cue — a hint
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. degree — from a university
  17. net — for catching
  18. row — to paddle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. can — a tin
  24. row — a line

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