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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: pitch · rest · squash · firm · stem · field · charge · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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 — dry grass
  3. field — farmland
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pitch — completely
  7. charge — a price
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. firm — decided
  11. charge — in control
  12. field — for sport
  13. firm — steady
  14. squash — the sport
  15. charge — electricity
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. field — a subject
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. firm — a company

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