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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 116 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bank — for money
  5. tear — to rip
  6. kick — in football
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bank — for money
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bank — of a river
  13. lean — thin
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. squash — the sport
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. chip — to eat
  22. tear — from crying
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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