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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. court — for sport
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. clip — for paper
  13. firm — a company
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wound — an injury
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. court — of a king
  21. firm — decided
  22. pitch — completely
  23. firm — steady
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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