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

Word bank: key · snap · pitch · straw · season · wind · press · row

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pitch — completely
  3. row — a line
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. press — to push
  9. key — in music
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. key — the most important part
  12. press — a publisher
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wind — moving air
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. row — to paddle
  21. season — of the year
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. snap — to click

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