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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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. toast — bread
  3. field — a subject
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. cap — a hat
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rush — hurry
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. field — farmland
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. field — for sport
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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