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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: arm · pitch · toast · wound · bound · straw · tear · board

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. wound — an injury
  3. board — to get on
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. tear — from crying
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — a committee
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pitch — completely
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bound — obliged
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. toast — bread
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bound — tied together
  23. tear — to rip
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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