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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: bat · degree · track · mouse · current · roll · straw · suit

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. track — a path
  3. current — happening now
  4. track — a song
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. degree — from a university
  7. current — electric
  8. degree — temperature
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bat — the animal
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — a list
  14. degree — an amount
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. suit — in cards
  18. current — of water
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. suit — clothes
  24. track — to keep track

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