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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: bowl · straw · wind · bulb · pitch · temple · perch · season

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. pitch — completely
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bulb — for light
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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