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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 116 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: straw · swing · game · club · mark · pound · plane · fall

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. fall — to drop
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. club — for dancing
  7. swing — to play on
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. fall — to drop
  10. plane — a tool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mark — a grade
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fall — the season
  17. pound — a weight
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. club — for golf
  20. mark — a trace
  21. club — a group
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. game — a match

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