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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bound — tied together
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bound — certain
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. fork — in a road
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bat — the animal

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