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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pop — soda
  6. spring — of water
  7. pop — to visit
  8. spring — the season
  9. pop — music
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. craft — boats
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cell — a phone

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