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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pound — a weight
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mug — to rob
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bank — for money
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bank — for money
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. last — to go on
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. last — final
  23. game — a match
  24. mug — a face

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