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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 · toast · straw · degree · perch · saw · firm · fine

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bat — the animal
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — a company
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. perch — the fish
  8. saw — the tool
  9. toast — bread
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fine — all right
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. saw — the tool
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. firm — steady
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bat — for baseball

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