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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 120 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: mug · pitcher · row · lash · scale · tube · bat · cue

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mug — a cup
  8. scale — in music
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cue — a hint
  16. row — a line
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. cue — for pool
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mug — to rob
  23. tube — a container
  24. scale — size or range

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