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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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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: pound · roll · straw · arm · club · cap · game · rock

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. roll — a list
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. club — a group
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. club — for golf
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rock — music
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. game — a match
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pound — a weight
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. club — for dancing
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rock — a stone
  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