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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bound — certain
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bound — obliged
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. ground — a position
  11. bat — the animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. can — a tin
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. can — a tin
  17. ground — the earth
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fall — the season
  20. saw — the tool
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bound — tied together
  24. can — to be able to

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