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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: race · suit · ruler · net · pitcher · tube · straw · club

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. net — for catching
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. club — a group
  7. race — humankind
  8. suit — in cards
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. suit — to fit
  12. tube — the underground
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. race — the arms race
  17. suit — clothes
  18. race — a contest
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. net — in sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tube — a container
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. net — after costs

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