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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: roll · ground · foot · pitch · suit · straw · mate · chest

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. pitch — completely
  3. chest — a box
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. chest — of your body
  6. roll — a list
  7. ground — crushed
  8. foot — a measure
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. roll — a cake
  12. mate — a partner
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. mate — to breed
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. suit — in cards
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. suit — clothes
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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