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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 116 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. board — to get on
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. tear — to rip
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. can — to be able to
  10. rash — hasty
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mark — a trace
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. can — a tin
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rash — a series

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