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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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. pitcher — a jug
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rock — a stone
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rock — music
  23. rash — a series
  24. hide — to keep secret

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