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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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. ball — a dance
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. scale — in music
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. board — a committee
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. lean — thin
  15. clip — to cut
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ball — a great time
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. board — to get on

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