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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · suit · straw · pitcher · bass · stick · game · tear

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. suit — to fit
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tear — from crying
  6. suit — in cards
  7. game — a match
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. tear — to rip
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bass — low music
  19. suit — clothes
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bass — the fish
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. nail — on a finger

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