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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. ball — a great time
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. spell — letters
  9. cell — a phone
  10. capital — money
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. spell — magic
  17. capital — a city
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pass — a permit
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. straw — a straw man

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