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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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. bank — for money
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. key — in music
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bank — for money
  10. cell — a phone
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fall — the season
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bank — of a river
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. fall — to drop
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. kid — child
  24. fall — to drop

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