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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 116 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 black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. key — in music
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pound — a weight
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bear — the animal
  7. ground — crushed
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. ground — a position
  10. track — a path
  11. game — wild animals
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. track — a song
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. key — the most important part
  17. track — to keep track
  18. game — a match
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. straw — dry grass

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