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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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468
Word bank
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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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. date — on the calendar
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. swing — in golf
  9. toast — bread
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. track — a song
  22. pound — a weight
  23. cold — not warm
  24. track — a path

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