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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. spell — a short time
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. spell — letters
  7. can — a tin
  8. mate — a partner
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rash — a series
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fall — the season
  19. mate — to breed
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. can — a tin
  22. plane — a tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. spell — magic

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