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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wound — an injury
  6. band — a music group
  7. bat — the animal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bound — certain
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bound — obliged
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. deal — a big deal

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