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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. current — electric
  12. current — of water
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. current — happening now
  18. object — an aim
  19. lie — to recline
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. game — a match
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — a thing

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