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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: pitch · bear · leaves · hide · straw · stand · pitcher · file

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. file — a tool
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pitch — completely
  5. stand — to bear
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. file — a document
  14. bear — the animal
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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