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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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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 · perch · straw · game · foot · wave · degree · jam

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. degree — from a university
  5. present — a gift
  6. perch — the fish
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. foot — a measure
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. degree — temperature
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. present — there
  18. game — wild animals
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. game — a match
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. present — the time now

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