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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 116 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. hand — in cards
  3. club — a group
  4. pitch — completely
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. club — for dancing
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. club — for golf
  10. hand — help
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cue — for pool
  14. tube — a container
  15. cue — a hint
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. tube — the underground
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cue — a signal
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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