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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bank — for money
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ball — a great time
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mug — to rob
  12. shower — to wash
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mug — a cup
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ball — a dance
  17. game — a match
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mug — a face
  21. shower — rain
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bank — for money

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