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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: pitch · club · track · kid · straw · ruler

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. kid — to tease
  3. club — for dancing
  4. track — a song
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. track — a path
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. club — for golf
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. club — a group
  15. track — to keep track
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child

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