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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. spring — the season
  3. fine — high quality
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. spring — a coil
  6. season — in sport
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fine — all right
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spring — of water
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitch — completely
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. arm — a part of something

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