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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. current — of water
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bound — certain
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. current — happening now
  13. bound — obliged
  14. roll — a cake
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. ground — the earth
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. roll — a list
  21. vault — a safe
  22. game — wild animals
  23. ground — crushed
  24. current — electric

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