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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitch — completely
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rock — music
  16. craft — a skill
  17. chair — a leader
  18. craft — boats
  19. rest — a break
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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