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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: mouse · cap · present · safe · chest · degree · straw · nail

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. cap — a hat
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. degree — temperature
  8. present — a gift
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. present — the time now
  13. cap — a lid
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. degree — from a university
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cap — of ice
  23. degree — an amount
  24. present — there

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