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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. can — a tin
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wind — moving air
  16. can — a tin
  17. hand — help
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. snap — to click
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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