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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: pitcher · wind · fork · kick · rush · straw · field · firm

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wind — moving air
  4. field — a subject
  5. firm — decided
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. kick — in football
  12. firm — steady
  13. field — for sport
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fork — in a road
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. field — farmland
  23. firm — a company
  24. rush — a thrill

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