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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 116 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pound — a weight
  3. land — a country
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. press — a publisher
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. press — to push

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