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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 120 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. root — of a word
  10. ground — a position
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. root — the cause
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. wake — a trail
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. root — of a plant
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. ground — crushed
  24. wake — before a funeral

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