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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 116 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. mine — for digging
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. mug — a cup
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mug — a face
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pound — a weight
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. saw — the tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mug — to rob
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pass — a permit
  24. saw — the tool

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