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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. cell — a phone
  4. net — after costs
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. band — a music group
  8. bound — certain
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bound — obliged
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. net — for catching
  15. bound — tied together
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. net — in sport
  21. can — a tin
  22. band — a ring
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pass — to spend time

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