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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. suit — to fit
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. roll — a cake
  8. track — a path
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. ground — a position
  12. suit — in cards
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. roll — a list
  15. track — to keep track
  16. ground — the earth
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. kid — to tease
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. track — a song
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kid — child
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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