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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chip — to eat
  3. can — a tin
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. can — a tin
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pass — a permit
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bound — certain
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. cold — not warm
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bound — obliged
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pitcher — a jug

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