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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · straw · coach · mark · row · mug · degree · racket

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mug — a face
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mug — a cup
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bat — the animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mug — to rob
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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