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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. squash — to crush
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. lean — thin
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. sharp — clever
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. clip — for paper
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. clip — a video
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pitch — completely
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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