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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. fall — the season
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bass — low music
  9. bore — to drill
  10. can — to be able to
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. can — a tin
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fall — to drop
  17. can — a tin
  18. bore — to tire
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bass — the fish
  22. game — a match
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cold — the Cold War

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