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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 120 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. chest — a box
  3. last — finally
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. chest — of your body
  6. last — final
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. pitch — completely
  12. chest — of your body
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. staff — employees
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. last — to go on
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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