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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: suit · roll · bat · drill · calf · mouse · mine · degree

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  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. bat — in an idiom
  2. suit — to fit
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. drill — army training
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bat — the animal
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. degree — from a university
  10. drill — the tool
  11. suit — in cards
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. roll — a list
  16. drill — a practice
  17. roll — a cake
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. degree — temperature
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. suit — clothes
  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