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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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. shower — a meteor shower
  3. press — newspapers
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. press — a publisher
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. shower — to wash
  18. press — to push
  19. chest — a box
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fork — in a road
  23. shower — rain
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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