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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. firm — decided
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mark — a trace
  5. kid — child
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. net — after costs
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. kid — to tease
  12. field — farmland
  13. mark — a grade
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. firm — steady
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bound — certain
  19. net — in sport
  20. bound — obliged
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. net — for catching
  23. bound — tied together
  24. firm — a company

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