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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: squash · straw · rush · pitch · pitcher · chest · clip · bank

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. chest — of your body
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — a video
  5. squash — to crush
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. chest — a box
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bank — of a river
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pitch — completely

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