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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pit — a hole
  4. club — a group
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. wake — a trail
  7. land — to come down
  8. roll — a list
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. land — ground
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. band — a music group
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. land — a country
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pit — in a race
  24. club — for golf

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