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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. suit — in cards
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. suit — to fit
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cold — an illness
  13. clip — a video
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. clip — for paper
  16. lie — to recline
  17. suit — clothes
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cold — not warm
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — a cake
  24. clip — to cut

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