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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. field — farmland
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. field — a subject
  7. sharp — clever
  8. field — for sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. band — a music group
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. band — a ring
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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