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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. track — a song
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pass — a permit
  7. rest — a break
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. track — a path
  22. hand — help
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pit — a hole

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