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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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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 · net · pitch · field · wind · stick · foot · pass

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. net — for catching
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. net — after costs
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pass — a permit
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wind — moving air
  12. field — a subject
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wind — moving air
  16. field — farmland
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. field — for sport
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. net — in sport
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. foot — part of the body

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