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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: straw · ball · deal · row · rock · wound · pitch · wave

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wound — an injury
  3. deal — to handle
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. row — to paddle
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pitch — completely
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. rock — a stone
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. ball — a great time
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. row — a line
  21. rock — music
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. deal — a big deal

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