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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. court — of law
  3. tear — from crying
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bass — the fish
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. court — for sport
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — low music
  18. rash — hasty
  19. tear — to rip
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. tear — from crying
  23. court — of a king
  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