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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
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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: game · roll · rest · arm · suit · pop · straw · mark

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — a list
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mark — a trace
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. suit — to fit
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. game — a match
  10. pop — music
  11. suit — clothes
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rest — what's left
  14. suit — in cards
  15. pop — soda
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mark — a grade
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pop — to visit
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. game — wild animals

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