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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: straw · pitch · mine · snap · scale · deal · mug · club

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. snap — to click
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mine — for digging
  7. scale — size or range
  8. club — a group
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. mug — to rob
  11. scale — in music
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pitch — completely
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. club — for golf
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. club — for dancing
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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