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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. track — a song
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. track — a path
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. track — to keep track

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