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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. firm — steady
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. firm — a company
  12. pitch — completely
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rock — a stone
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. field — for sport
  17. tube — the underground
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. firm — decided
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rock — music
  23. tube — a container
  24. rock — to move gently

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