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

Word bank: cap · mouse · straw · degree · kick · lean · pit · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — there
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cap — of ice
  7. lean — to bend
  8. present — a gift
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lean — thin
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. degree — temperature
  17. kick — in football
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — a hat
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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