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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: straw · content · pound · mug · arm · game · bass · lie

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bass — the fish
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — to rob
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bass — low music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. content — happy
  14. pound — a weight
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. game — a match
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. content — the amount
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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