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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bank — for money
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. firm — decided
  8. bank — of a river
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bank — for money
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. firm — a company
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fork — in a road
  18. firm — steady

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