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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bound — obliged
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cue — a hint
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bound — certain
  21. track — a path
  22. cold — not warm
  23. track — a song
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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