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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: cabinet · jam · rock · pitch · degree · snap · row · straw

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. rock — a stone
  4. snap — to click
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rock — music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. degree — an amount
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. row — a line
  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