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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pitch — completely
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chest — a box
  7. stand — to bear
  8. wound — an injury
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wound — an injury
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lie — to recline
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. lie — an untruth

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