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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: staff · tear · pound · straw · ruler · game · pitch · chair

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. tear — from crying
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pound — a weight
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. game — a match
  12. staff — employees
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. chair — a leader
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pitch — completely
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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