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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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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: pitcher · club · cue · tube · swing · stand · court · tear

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. court — of a king
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — for pool
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cue — a signal
  11. stand — to bear
  12. tube — the underground
  13. court — of law
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. swing — to play on
  17. club — for golf
  18. court — for sport
  19. club — for dancing
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. club — a group
  22. swing — music
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. tube — a container

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