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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. track — a song
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. dip — to sink
  12. net — for catching
  13. deal — to handle
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. net — in sport
  16. track — to keep track
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. net — after costs
  23. fork — in a road
  24. track — a path

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