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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 116 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: degree · chair · straw · bank · can · pit · hand · cue

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cue — a signal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pit — in a race
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. can — a tin
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bank — of a river
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. hand — help
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bank — for money
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bank — for money
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. can — a tin
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. hand — in cards

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