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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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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: tear · toast · staff · degree · pitcher · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. staff — employees
  4. degree — an amount
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. staff — employees
  8. toast — bread
  9. degree — temperature
  10. club — for golf
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. degree — from a university
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. tear — from crying
  17. staff — a stick
  18. toast — the most admired

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