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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bear — the animal
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. swing — to play on
  14. squash — the sport
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. ground — crushed
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. swing — music

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