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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. track — a path
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. squash — to crush
  6. track — a song
  7. snap — to click
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. current — electric
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. game — wild animals
  12. current — of water
  13. ball — a great time
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. current — happening now
  16. prune — to trim
  17. squash — the sport
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. game — a match
  21. prune — to trim
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. track — to keep track
  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