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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. kid — child
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — to push
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bound — tied together
  9. roll — a list
  10. bound — obliged
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pitch — completely
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. net — after costs
  21. bound — certain
  22. net — in sport
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. net — for catching

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