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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · straw · pitcher · lie · land · bat · craft · pitch

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. craft — boats
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — ground
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bat — the animal
  20. land — to come down
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. land — a country
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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