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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. capital — a city
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pitch — completely
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mug — a cup
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bat — the animal
  12. capital — money
  13. ground — a position
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mate — a friend
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mug — a face
  20. mate — to breed
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. ground — crushed

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