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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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. kid — to tease
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. band — a music group
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. band — a ring
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. kid — child
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. object — to protest
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. fall — to drop
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — an aim
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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