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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — a match
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bound — tied together
  7. branch — a division
  8. bound — certain
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bound — obliged
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. game — wild animals
  13. can — a tin
  14. tear — to rip
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tear — from crying
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. can — a tin
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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