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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 120 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: deal · court · lean · ground · mug · straw · race · pound

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. race — a contest
  3. court — of law
  4. mug — a cup
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. court — of a king
  7. pound — a weight
  8. ground — a position
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. mug — a face
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. ground — crushed
  18. court — for sport
  19. race — humankind
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. race — the arms race
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mug — to rob

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