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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 piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. can — a tin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. key — the most important part
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cold — an illness
  14. can — a tin
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. key — for a lock
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. can — to be able to
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cold — not warm
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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