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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 120 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
468
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 · lash · straw · racket · drill · track · shower · squash

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. drill — army training
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. track — to keep track
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. shower — rain
  11. track — a path
  12. bat — the animal
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. squash — the sport
  15. track — a song
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. shower — to wash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. squash — to crush
  21. drill — the tool
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. drill — a practice
  24. racket — for tennis

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