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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · mate · bowl · fall · degree · straw · pound · cue

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — to breed
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. fall — the season
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. fall — to drop
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pound — a weight
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cue — a signal
  20. snap — to click
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. straw — a straw man

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