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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. game — a match
  5. key — for a lock
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. deal — to handle
  8. key — in music
  9. roll — a list
  10. key — the most important part
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. roll — a cake
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pound — a weight
  17. scale — size or range
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. game — wild animals
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. scale — in music

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