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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bound — certain
  4. last — finally
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bound — obliged
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bound — tied together
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. pitch — completely
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. straw — dry grass

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