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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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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. swing — music
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cold — an illness
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pitch — completely
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bear — the animal

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