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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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. stick — a piece of wood
  3. board — a committee
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. land — a country
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kid — child
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. kid — to tease
  19. land — ground
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. board — to get on
  22. last — final
  23. perch — the fish
  24. land — to come down

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