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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: roll · bay · cabinet · chest · degree · craft · lie · straw

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chest — a box
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. roll — a list
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chest — of your body
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — boats
  21. lie — to recline
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. roll — a cake
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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