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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. net — in sport
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. net — for catching
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. net — after costs
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wind — moving air
  13. can — to be able to
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. can — a tin
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. content — happy
  19. can — a tin
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wind — moving air
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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