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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. row — a line
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — low music
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — to bear
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pitch — completely
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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