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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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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: pitcher · jam · wind · pitch · march · straw · cap · firm

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitch — completely
  11. firm — a company
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. firm — steady
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. firm — decided
  19. cap — a lid
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wind — moving air
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. march — music

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