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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bound — certain
  3. key — for a lock
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bound — obliged
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mate — a friend
  11. lie — to recline
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. lean — to bend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bound — tied together
  18. key — the most important part
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. key — in music
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lean — thin
  24. mate — a partner

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