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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. key — in music
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. file — a document
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. lean — thin
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. lean — to bend
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rule — government
  20. file — a tool
  21. key — the most important part
  22. rule — a law
  23. key — for a lock
  24. lean — to rest against

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