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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 120 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. present — the time now
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. spring — the season
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fall — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. fall — to drop
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. race — a contest
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. race — humankind

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