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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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. land — to come down
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. court — of law
  8. land — ground
  9. clip — to cut
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. clip — a video
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. land — a country
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rash — hasty
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. court — of a king
  20. wake — a trail
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. court — for sport
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. rash — a series

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