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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 120 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. race — a contest
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. season — in sport
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. band — a ring
  11. court — of law
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — completely
  14. band — a music group
  15. season — of the year
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. band — a rubber band

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