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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rock — music
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pass — a permit
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bound — certain
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. rock — a stone
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. stand — to bear
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. ruler — for measuring

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