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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 116 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. file — a document
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. court — of law
  9. file — a tool
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. court — of a king
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. file — a line of people
  18. court — for sport
  19. pound — a weight
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rock — a stone
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — to move gently

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