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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 124 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. foot — a measure
  7. chest — of your body
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pitch — completely
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. chest — a box
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. deal — to handle
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. chest — of your body

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