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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. foot — a measure
  6. net — for catching
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. net — after costs
  14. game — wild animals
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. roll — a list
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. net — in sport
  22. roll — a cake
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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