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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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. key — in music
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. band — a ring
  7. deal — to handle
  8. key — for a lock
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cold — an illness
  23. band — a music group
  24. key — the most important part

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