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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. net — in sport
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bass — low music
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cap — a lid
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. cap — a hat
  18. content — happy
  19. net — for catching
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pitch — completely
  22. net — after costs
  23. ball — a great time
  24. content — the amount

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