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

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bound — certain
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bound — obliged
  14. track — a song
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. track — a path
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. track — to keep track

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