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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: swing · hide · bulb · degree · ruler · pitch · straw · toast

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. swing — in golf
  10. pitch — completely
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bulb — for light
  17. degree — an amount
  18. toast — bread
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. straw — a straw man

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