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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: straw · rule · degree · rest · mouse · mug · lean · fork

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mug — a face
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rule — a law
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fork — in a road
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rest — what's left
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mug — to rob
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rule — government
  18. lean — thin
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rest — what's left

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