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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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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: tear · bass · pitch · kick · root · swing · straw · pass

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. root — the cause
  3. tear — to rip
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. swing — to play on
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. swing — in golf
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pass — a permit
  16. root — of a plant
  17. swing — music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. root — of a word
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. kick — in football
  22. bass — low music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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