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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. content — happy
  4. can — to be able to
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bound — certain
  8. can — a tin
  9. chair — a leader
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bound — obliged
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. swing — to play on
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. swing — music
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. swing — in golf
  22. content — the amount
  23. bound — tied together
  24. stand — to bear

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