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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. game — wild animals
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. saw — the tool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bound — obliged
  17. saw — the tool
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. dip — to sink
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bear — the animal
  24. game — a match

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