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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. lie — to recline
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. suit — in cards
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. field — a subject
  17. suit — clothes
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. degree — from a university
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. racket — a loud noise

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