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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — completely
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. lie — to recline
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wind — moving air
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. season — of the year
  18. kick — in football
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. band — a music group
  21. season — in sport
  22. roll — a list
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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