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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. track — to keep track
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. rock — music
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. band — a ring
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. band — a music group
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. track — a song
  19. file — a tool
  20. track — a path
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rock — a stone
  24. straw — a straw man

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