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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: suit · straw · degree · shower · fan · bat · rule · pound

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. shower — rain
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. suit — to fit
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bat — the animal
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. suit — in cards
  21. rule — government
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. degree — from a university

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