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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mark — a trace
  10. key — the most important part
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — in control
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. charge — electricity
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. mark — a grade

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