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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: mine · straw · fan · hand · bay · season · pitch · firm

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. firm — steady
  5. pitch — completely
  6. season — of the year
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. firm — a company
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mine — for digging
  21. season — in sport
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. firm — decided

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