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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rock — music
  7. object — to protest
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bound — certain
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bound — obliged
  15. object — an aim
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. object — a thing

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