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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: present · degree · wave · straw · mug · bat · season · lie

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mug — a cup
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mug — a face
  5. present — a gift
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. degree — an amount
  10. present — there
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. bat — the animal
  16. present — the time now
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mug — to rob
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bat — for baseball

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