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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: scale · pitch · tube · straw · board · squash · degree · pound

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. scale — in music
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. degree — temperature
  8. squash — the sport
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pound — a weight
  12. board — a committee
  13. degree — an amount
  14. squash — to crush
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. scale — size or range
  18. tube — a container
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. board — to get on
  24. degree — from a university

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