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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. root — the cause
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. root — of a word
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. track — a path
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. net — after costs
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. vault — a safe
  13. track — a song
  14. band — a music group
  15. net — for catching
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. net — in sport
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. band — a ring
  24. cold — an illness

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