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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 116 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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. drill — army training
  4. mug — a cup
  5. suit — in cards
  6. mug — to rob
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. bear — the animal
  10. game — wild animals
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mug — a face
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bass — the fish
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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