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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — steady
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. can — a tin
  7. firm — decided
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. file — a tool
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. face — to confront
  12. drill — army training
  13. face — part of the head
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. drill — a practice
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — a city
  19. face — to point toward
  20. can — a tin
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. drill — the tool
  23. file — a document
  24. capital — money

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