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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. lean — thin
  3. track — to keep track
  4. firm — steady
  5. cold — an illness
  6. firm — a company
  7. spring — the season
  8. march — the month
  9. press — newspapers
  10. firm — decided
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. track — a song
  15. march — the month
  16. spring — a coil
  17. march — music
  18. spring — of water
  19. track — a path
  20. press — a publisher
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cold — not warm
  24. press — to push

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