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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 116 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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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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. mug — a face
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hand — help
  5. bass — low music
  6. squash — the sport
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rash — a series
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spell — letters
  11. mug — a cup
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bass — the fish
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rash — hasty
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mug — to rob
  21. squash — to crush
  22. spell — magic
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. tube — a container

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