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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. last — final
  4. net — in sport
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. last — to go on
  9. face — to point toward
  10. last — finally
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. net — for catching
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wind — moving air
  20. net — after costs
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. face — to confront
  24. wind — to turn a key

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