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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · pitch · stand · mate · field · mouse

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. 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. mate — to breed
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. field — farmland
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. field — for sport
  12. stand — to bear
  13. field — a subject
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. 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