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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pound — a weight
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. net — after costs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. staff — employees
  8. net — for catching
  9. mug — a face
  10. fall — to drop
  11. staff — a stick
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. fall — to drop
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. staff — employees
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mug — a cup
  20. scale — in music
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. fall — the season
  24. mug — to rob

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