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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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. game — wild animals
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spell — letters
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. spell — a short time
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fine — all right
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wake — a trail
  22. spell — magic
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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