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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 · tube · pitch · hand · degree · squash · net · row

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. degree — temperature
  3. row — to paddle
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. hand — help
  8. tube — a container
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mug — a face
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pitch — completely
  14. degree — from a university
  15. net — for catching
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. net — in sport
  19. tube — the underground
  20. degree — an amount
  21. net — after costs
  22. row — a line
  23. squash — the sport
  24. hand — part of the body

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