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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. hand — in cards
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. saw — the tool
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. hand — help
  23. bark — to shout
  24. saw — the tool

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