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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 120 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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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. tear — from crying
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. tear — from crying
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chair — a leader
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — for pool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. kid — child
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. cue — a signal
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. kid — to tease
  22. tear — to rip
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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