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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. root — of a word
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. charge — a price
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tube — a container
  12. charge — electricity
  13. pit — a hole
  14. cold — an illness
  15. charge — in control
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pit — in a race
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tube — the underground
  23. root — the cause
  24. wound — an injury

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