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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 124 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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. band — a music group
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. squash — the sport
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. perch — the fish
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pitch — completely
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. band — a ring
  17. snap — to click
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. squash — to crush
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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