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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pound — a weight
  4. spring — the season
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spring — of water
  8. pitch — completely
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. march — the month
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. land — to come down
  17. march — music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. spring — a coil
  21. march — the month
  22. land — a country
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. land — ground

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