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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: land · can · pitcher · board · straw · swing · pitch · foot

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. foot — a measure
  4. board — to get on
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pitch — completely
  9. swing — music
  10. land — ground
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. swing — to play on
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. swing — in golf
  16. can — a tin
  17. board — a committee
  18. can — to be able to
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. land — a country
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. land — to come down
  24. pitcher — a jug

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