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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 120 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. rash — a series
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bound — certain
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. squash — to crush
  14. rash — hasty
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. hand — help
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. squash — the sport
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rash — on the skin

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