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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. pound — a weight
  6. spell — magic
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. spell — letters
  10. foot — a measure
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. spell — a short time
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pound — for dogs

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