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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bound — obliged
  5. club — for dancing
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. kid — to tease
  9. club — a group
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. kid — child
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. club — for golf
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. straw — a straw man

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