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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 120 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. kick — in football
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. lean — thin
  10. court — of law
  11. squash — to crush
  12. fall — to drop
  13. march — the month
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fall — the season
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lean — to bend
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. court — of a king
  23. squash — the sport
  24. court — for sport

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