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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mine — for digging
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. can — to be able to
  10. present — a gift
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rest — a break
  15. present — the time now
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. lean — thin
  21. bound — certain
  22. lean — to bend
  23. present — there
  24. can — a tin

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