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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. ground — a position
  8. last — to go on
  9. game — wild animals
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. last — finally
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ground — crushed
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. last — final
  18. ground — the earth
  19. game — a match
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pound — a weight
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. hide — animal skin

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