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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · straw · chair · drill · tube · mug · plane · scale

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. drill — army training
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mug — to rob
  6. tube — the underground
  7. chair — a leader
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bat — the animal
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. drill — a practice
  19. scale — size or range
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. scale — in music
  22. plane — a tool
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mug — a face

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