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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: rest · cabinet · mark · degree · bat · pound · straw · tube

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. degree — an amount
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rest — what's left
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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