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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — tied together
  4. field — farmland
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rule — government
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bound — certain
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rule — a law

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