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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: court · track · scale · cue · tube · rock · straw · staff

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. track — to keep track
  3. scale — in music
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. track — a path
  7. staff — a stick
  8. rock — music
  9. tube — a container
  10. staff — employees
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cue — for pool
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. scale — size or range
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. track — a song
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cue — a hint
  21. court — of a king
  22. staff — employees
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cue — a signal

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