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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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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 · pound · drill · fall · mate · mouse · game · safe

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mate — a partner
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fall — to drop
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fall — the season
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. game — wild animals
  18. drill — the tool
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. drill — army training
  22. pound — a weight
  23. game — a match
  24. pound — to hit hard

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