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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bound — certain
  4. sharp — clever
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bound — tied together
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bound — obliged
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. toast — bread
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. hand — help
  19. dip — to sink
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. tube — the underground
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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