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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pitch — completely
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. kid — to tease
  12. ball — a great time
  13. track — a song
  14. present — there
  15. present — the time now
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. kid — child
  18. track — a path
  19. present — a gift
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. ball — a dance
  22. track — to keep track
  23. scale — in music
  24. bore — to tire

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