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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. firm — decided
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. dip — to sink
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. chest — a box
  10. roll — a list
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ground — crushed
  15. capital — a city
  16. ground — the earth
  17. roll — a cake
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. firm — steady
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ground — a position
  22. firm — a company
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. dip — a sauce

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