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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chest — of your body
  6. game — a match
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chest — a box
  9. pitch — completely
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. lie — to recline
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. stand — to bear
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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