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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: spring · straw · bound · pit · pitch · stick · bowl · bear

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. spring — the season
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bound — tied together
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bound — certain
  19. spring — of water
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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