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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: racket · degree · mate · bat · mark · shower · straw · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mark — a trace
  8. shower — rain
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bat — the animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. suit — to fit
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. suit — in cards
  24. shower — to wash

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