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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 · mouse · pitch · present · bay · ball · cue · fork

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — there
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. cue — a signal
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. present — the time now
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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