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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. land — to come down
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. foot — a measure
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. land — a country
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mouse — the animal

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