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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mug — a cup
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mug — to rob
  7. hand — in cards
  8. net — for catching
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. track — to keep track
  11. hand — help
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. net — after costs
  15. track — a path
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. net — in sport
  19. press — to push
  20. track — a song
  21. mug — a face
  22. press — a publisher
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. press — newspapers

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