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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bound — certain
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rule — a law
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bear — the animal
  9. swing — music
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rest — a break
  15. bear — the animal
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mate — to breed
  18. swing — in golf
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mate — a friend
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mate — a partner

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