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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pitch — completely
  3. present — there
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. ground — the earth
  8. present — the time now
  9. pound — a weight
  10. hand — help
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. hand — in cards
  17. sharp — clever
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. toast — bread
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. present — a gift

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