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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mug — a face
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bound — obliged
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mug — a cup
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. kick — in football
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bound — certain
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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