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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 120 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: rash · pitch · staff · racket · bay · dip · straw · game

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. rash — hasty
  6. staff — employees
  7. game — a match
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. game — wild animals
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rash — a series
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. dip — to sink

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