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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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. mouse — the animal
  3. dip — to sink
  4. ground — crushed
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mate — a friend
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cold — an illness
  17. ground — the earth
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. ground — a position
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. dip — to dunk

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