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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. row — a line
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. march — the month
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bank — for money
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bank — of a river
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bank — for money
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. prune — to trim
  24. row — to paddle

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