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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. sharp — clever
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. bound — obliged
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bound — certain
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. chair — a leader
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bound — tied together
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. cap — a lid

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