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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kid — child
  8. cue — for pool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. last — final
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. last — finally
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. kid — to tease
  19. cue — a hint
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wind — moving air
  23. last — to go on
  24. pitch — a sports field

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