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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 120 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bass — the fish
  3. pitch — completely
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. spell — a short time
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. band — a music group
  13. bass — low music
  14. spell — magic
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. band — a ring
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rash — a series
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. spell — letters
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. rash — hasty

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