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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 120 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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bear — the animal
  9. hand — help
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. band — a ring
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mug — a cup
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. row — a line
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mug — a face
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a music group
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mug — to rob

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