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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. bear — the animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. game — a match
  12. pitch — completely
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. charge — in control
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bear — the animal
  17. charge — electricity
  18. snap — to click
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. charge — a price
  21. game — wild animals
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. date — the fruit
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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