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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. present — there
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. prune — to trim
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. present — a gift
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fall — the season
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pitch — completely
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ground — a position
  22. squash — to crush
  23. fall — to drop
  24. present — the time now

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