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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chest — of your body
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. current — happening now
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. chest — a box
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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