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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. game — a match
  7. bound — certain
  8. squash — the sport
  9. game — wild animals
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spell — a short time
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. spell — magic
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. spell — letters
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pop — soda

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