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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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. sharp — exactly
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bass — low music
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tear — from crying
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bass — the fish
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. tear — to rip
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. sharp — with an edge

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