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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. spring — of water
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. craft — boats
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. spring — the season
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. hand — in cards
  17. spring — a coil
  18. hand — help
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. straw — dry grass

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