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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: stick · degree · straw · shower · calf · bat · mark · squash

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. shower — rain
  3. mark — a grade
  4. squash — to crush
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. degree — an amount
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. squash — the sport
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mark — a trace
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. degree — from a university
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bat — 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