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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 124 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. craft — a skill
  13. track — a path
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. track — a song
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. track — to keep track
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. craft — boats
  24. wave — of the sea

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