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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fine — all right
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fine — high quality
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. fine — a penalty

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