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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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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 · rash · pitcher · bay · ball · pitch · key · can

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. can — a tin
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rash — a series
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. can — a tin
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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