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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
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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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. mate — a partner
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. can — a tin
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rest — a break
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. face — to confront
  12. mate — to breed
  13. scale — size or range
  14. can — to be able to
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mate — a friend
  17. scale — in music
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. face — part of the head
  21. can — a tin
  22. rest — what's left
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cold — an illness

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