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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bound — certain
  3. spring — of water
  4. can — a tin
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. face — part of the head
  13. spring — the season
  14. face — to confront
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bound — obliged
  18. face — to point toward
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bound — tied together
  24. safe — a strongbox

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