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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. can — a tin
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cue — for pool
  6. object — to protest
  7. cue — a signal
  8. can — a tin
  9. track — a song
  10. lie — to recline
  11. can — to be able to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. object — an aim
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. track — to keep track
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cue — a hint
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. track — a path

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