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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — happening now
  9. fine — all right
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. current — of water
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — electric
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pitch — completely
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. file — a document
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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