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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. file — a tool
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bound — certain
  10. firm — decided
  11. bound — obliged
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. firm — steady
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. file — a line of people
  19. firm — a company
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. file — a document
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — the animal
  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