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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: suit · straw · firm · spring · pitch · tear · club · kick

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. tear — to rip
  3. spring — a coil
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. suit — in cards
  7. tear — from crying
  8. firm — steady
  9. club — a group
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. suit — clothes
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. firm — a company
  15. suit — to fit
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. kick — in football
  18. tear — from crying
  19. firm — decided
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. spring — the season
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. spring — of water

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