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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. net — for catching
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pitch — completely
  5. net — after costs
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. staff — a stick
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. can — to be able to
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. branch — a division
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. row — a line
  17. staff — employees
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. net — in sport
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. row — to paddle
  23. staff — employees
  24. straw — a straw man

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