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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. tear — to rip
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. tear — from crying
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. key — the most important part
  14. ground — the earth
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pound — a weight
  22. ground — a position
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pound — for dogs

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