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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bark — to shout
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pound — a weight
  9. squash — to crush
  10. hand — in cards
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fall — to drop
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fall — the season
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fall — to drop
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. hand — help

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