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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. track — a song
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. object — to protest
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. track — to keep track
  19. kick — in football
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. track — a path
  22. object — a thing
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. object — an aim

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