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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · arm · club · fan · mouse · game · straw · wound

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wound — an injury
  7. club — a group
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pitch — completely
  16. game — wild animals
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. game — a match
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. club — for dancing
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. fan — to cool the air

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