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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. mine — for digging
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tear — to rip
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wake — a trail
  22. tear — from crying
  23. can — a tin
  24. straw — dry grass

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