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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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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: straw · rule · stick · band · hand · court · can · sharp

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rule — a law
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rule — government
  6. court — of law
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. can — a tin
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. can — a tin
  15. band — a ring
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. can — to be able to
  18. hand — in cards
  19. court — of a king
  20. sharp — clever
  21. court — for sport
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. straw — a straw man

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