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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: band · bore · hand · cap · mouse · pitch · degree · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bore — to drill
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. hand — help
  11. band — a ring
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cap — a hat
  17. degree — an amount
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. degree — temperature
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. band — a music group
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pitch — a sports field

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