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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. season — in sport
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bat — the animal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. season — of the year
  13. wake — a trail
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. roll — a list
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. deal — a big deal

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