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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: wind · cabinet · court · pitch · sharp · straw · ruler · rush

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. court — for sport
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pitch — completely
  19. court — of law
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. court — of a king

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