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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · tear · suit · bowl · ground · straw · pound · ruler

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. suit — in cards
  3. ground — a position
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. tear — from crying
  11. suit — clothes
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. tear — from crying
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. suit — to fit
  20. tear — to rip
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. ruler — a monarch

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