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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. craft — a skill
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mark — a grade
  5. land — to come down
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. land — a country
  8. bat — the animal
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. craft — boats
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. land — ground
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bat — in an idiom

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