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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. march — music
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. season — of the year
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. march — the month
  8. content — the amount
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. pitch — completely
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wind — moving air
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. content — happy
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. march — the month
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wind — moving air
  24. season — in sport

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