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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 116 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: club · mouse · bound · spring · pitch · saw · pass · straw

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bound — obliged
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pitch — completely
  12. club — for dancing
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. club — for golf
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spring — of water
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. club — a group

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