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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bark — to shout
  3. track — a song
  4. mug — to rob
  5. track — to keep track
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. can — a tin
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mug — a face
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pitch — completely
  20. track — a path
  21. cell — in biology
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mug — a cup

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