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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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 — a piece of wood
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fine — high quality
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. spring — of water
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. spring — the season
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pitch — completely
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. fine — all right
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. dip — to sink
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. spring — a coil

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