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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. can — a tin
  7. cell — in biology
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. can — a tin
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mug — a face
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rush — hurry
  21. lie — to recline
  22. can — to be able to
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cell — in a prison

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