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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. march — the month
  3. hand — in cards
  4. plane — a tool
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. march — the month
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. march — music

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