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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. row — a line
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. ball — a dance
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. root — of a word
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. root — the cause
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. racket — for tennis

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