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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. land — a country
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pitch — completely
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. firm — steady
  8. court — of law
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pound — a weight
  15. firm — a company
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. firm — decided
  18. bulb — for light
  19. court — for sport
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. court — of a king
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. bulb — of a plant

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