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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. march — music
  5. ball — a dance
  6. march — the month
  7. ground — a position
  8. ball — a great time
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ground — the earth
  14. band — a ring
  15. bound — certain
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. band — a music group
  18. march — the month
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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