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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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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: chip · club · straw · stick · kick · mouse · hand · degree

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. chip — to eat
  6. club — a group
  7. chip — for betting
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. degree — from a university
  12. club — for golf
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. hand — in cards
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. club — for dancing
  24. hand — help

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