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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitch — completely
  6. last — finally
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. current — of water
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. last — final
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. current — electric
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. current — happening now
  24. last — to go on

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