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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: chair · jam · straw · mouse · wind · bound · pitch · bulb

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bulb — for light
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bound — tied together
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pitch — completely
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. chair — a leader
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bound — certain

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