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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. can — to be able to
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. can — a tin
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bound — tied together
  11. can — a tin
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bound — certain
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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