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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: degree · ball · chest · pop · roll · fall · craft · straw

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. fall — the season
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. degree — an amount
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fall — to drop
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. degree — temperature
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. chest — of your body
  17. degree — from a university
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ball — a great time
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. craft — a handicraft

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