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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chair — a leader
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chest — a box
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mark — a trace
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. lean — thin
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mark — a grade
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pass — a permit
  24. straw — a straw man

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