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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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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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. face — part of the head
  3. squash — to crush
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bound — certain
  6. ball — a great time
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bound — obliged
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. face — to confront
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stock — goods
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bound — tied together
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rash — a series

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