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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: pitcher · coach · pass · chest · tube · straw · snap · dip

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. dip — to sink
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tube — a container
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pass — a permit
  9. snap — to click
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chest — of your body
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. chest — a box
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. tube — the underground

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