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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. capital — money
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pound — a weight
  6. capital — a city
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. ground — the earth
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. roll — a cake
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ground — a position
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. perch — the fish
  18. roll — a list
  19. season — of the year
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pound — to hit hard

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