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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. tube — a container
  4. suit — clothes
  5. cold — not warm
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. snap — to click
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bound — obliged
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. tube — the underground
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bound — tied together
  19. suit — in cards
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bound — certain
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cold — the Cold War

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