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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. band — a music group
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. band — a ring
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mine — for digging
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. perch — the fish
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitch — completely
  24. ruler — for measuring

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