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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. game — a match
  6. can — a tin
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. kick — in football
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. game — wild animals
  13. can — to be able to
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. can — a tin
  18. current — happening now
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pitch — completely

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