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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.

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: kick · degree · straw · rash · bear · scale · bat · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. kick — in football
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rash — a series
  9. bear — the animal
  10. degree — from a university
  11. scale — in music
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. degree — temperature
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bat — the animal
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. degree — an amount
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bear — the animal

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