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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 116 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rock — a stone
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. march — the month
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rock — music
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. mine — for digging
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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