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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. can — to be able to
  4. march — music
  5. bound — tied together
  6. net — in sport
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. march — the month
  11. spell — a short time
  12. net — for catching
  13. spring — of water
  14. bound — certain
  15. net — after costs
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — letters
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. march — the month
  24. spring — the season

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