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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: bear · trunk · pitcher · wind · pitch · season · straw · ball

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wind — moving air
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bear — the animal
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pitch — completely
  8. ball — a dance
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. season — in sport
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. season — of the year
  19. wind — moving air
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitch — a sports field

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