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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 120 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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. drill — army training
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. present — a gift
  5. wound — an injury
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. drill — the tool
  10. present — there
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. drill — a practice
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rock — music
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rock — a stone
  23. present — the time now
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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