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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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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: jam · ground · cue · rush · roll · land · fall · straw

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cue — for pool
  4. ground — a position
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. ground — the earth
  7. fall — to drop
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. ground — crushed
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. land — ground
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rush — hurry
  24. land — a country

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