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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: ground · mouse · swing · foot · straw · track · ball · spell

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. spell — magic
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — music
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. spell — letters
  10. ground — the earth
  11. swing — to play on
  12. ball — a dance
  13. track — a path
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. track — a song
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. ground — crushed
  18. track — to keep track
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. spell — a short time
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. ground — a position

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