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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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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 · craft · calf · pound · bat · mate · lash · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. suit — to fit
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — the animal
  8. craft — boats
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. suit — in cards
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mate — a friend
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. craft — a skill
  24. suit — clothes

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