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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pound — a weight
  14. lean — to bend
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. spell — letters
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. game — a match
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. spell — magic
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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