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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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. hide — animal skin
  3. fine — all right
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — of a plant
  7. degree — from a university
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lean — to bend
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. degree — an amount
  17. lean — thin
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mine — for digging
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. fine — high quality
  24. root — the cause

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