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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mug — a face
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. suit — to fit
  9. pitch — completely
  10. squash — to crush
  11. snap — to click
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pit — in a race
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fall — to drop
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. fall — the season
  23. squash — the sport
  24. straw — a straw man

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