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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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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: straw · stick · toast · bat · wind · foot · pitcher · degree

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. foot — a measure
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bat — the animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wind — moving air
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pitcher — a jug

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