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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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. sharp — with an edge
  3. capital — a city
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. ball — a great time
  9. roll — a cake
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. roll — a list
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. cue — a signal
  20. sharp — clever
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. capital — money
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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