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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tear — from crying
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. scale — in music
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bass — low music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. scale — size or range
  9. face — to confront
  10. staff — employees
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bass — the fish
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. face — to point toward
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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