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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitch — completely
  9. craft — boats
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. craft — a skill
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bear — the animal
  24. racket — for tennis

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