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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mug — a face
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mug — to rob
  6. court — of a king
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. current — of water
  10. ball — a great time
  11. court — for sport
  12. mug — a cup
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. current — electric
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. track — to keep track
  17. roll — a list
  18. court — of law
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wake — a trail
  24. current — happening now

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