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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. rock — a stone
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rash — a series
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. swing — music
  11. mark — a grade
  12. rock — music
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bound — certain
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cold — an illness

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