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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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. net — after costs
  3. tube — the underground
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. can — a tin
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. net — in sport
  18. can — a tin
  19. net — for catching
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. charge — in control
  22. lie — to recline
  23. can — to be able to
  24. racket — for tennis

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