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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 120 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: racket · present · kid · degree · squash · straw

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. present — the time now
  4. squash — to crush
  5. degree — an amount
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. kid — child
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. degree — from a university
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. degree — temperature
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. kid — to tease
  18. squash — the sport

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