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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. spring — the season
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. staff — employees
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. spring — of water
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. club — a group
  13. pitch — completely
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. staff — employees
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. can — a tin
  18. club — for golf
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. staff — a stick
  22. spring — a coil
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. club — for dancing

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