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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: season · mate · degree · straw · fan · cell · row · ball

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mate — a friend
  4. season — in sport
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cell — a phone
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. ball — a dance
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. degree — an amount
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. row — a line
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mate — a partner
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ball — a great time
  22. season — of the year
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mate — to breed

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