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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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. shower — to wash
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lean — thin
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pop — music
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. cold — an illness
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. shower — rain
  20. lean — to bend
  21. roll — a cake
  22. cold — not warm
  23. roll — a list
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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