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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — help
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. firm — a company
  9. pop — to visit
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rule — government
  13. march — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. hand — in cards
  16. firm — steady
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rule — a law
  19. can — to be able to
  20. firm — decided
  21. pop — music
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. can — a tin
  24. bound — certain

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