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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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. race — a contest
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. swing — to play on
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cold — not warm
  10. drill — the tool
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mug — to rob
  14. drill — a practice
  15. race — humankind
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cold — an illness
  20. swing — music
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. drill — army training

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