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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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 — a piece of wood
  3. cold — an illness
  4. shower — to wash
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cold — not warm
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. firm — steady
  9. spring — of water
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. firm — a company
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. shower — rain
  15. board — a committee
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. spring — the season
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. firm — decided
  20. board — to get on
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pound — a weight
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pound — for dogs

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