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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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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: roll · club · stand · straw · pitch · date · shower · scale

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. club — a group
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. club — for dancing
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pitch — completely
  12. scale — in music
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. roll — a cake
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. scale — size or range
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. club — for golf

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