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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. can — a tin
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cap — a hat
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cap — of ice
  15. can — a tin
  16. ball — a dance
  17. cap — a lid
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bound — certain
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ball — a great time
  22. can — to be able to
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. bound — tied together

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