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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rock — a stone
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. wind — moving air
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — to handle
  13. field — a subject
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — an aim
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. object — a thing
  19. snap — to click
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitch — completely
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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