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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rash — a series
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pitch — completely
  10. capital — a city
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. capital — money
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rash — hasty

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