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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mug — a face
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. fine — high quality
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wound — an injury
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. roll — a list
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. fine — all right
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mug — to rob
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. roll — a cake

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