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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pitch — completely
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. degree — temperature
  18. chip — for betting
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. club — for dancing
  24. straw — a straw man

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