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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. net — in sport
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bound — obliged
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. firm — a company
  12. bound — tied together
  13. firm — steady
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. net — for catching
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. hand — in cards
  20. kick — in football
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. net — after costs
  23. firm — decided
  24. tear — from crying

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