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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. cell — a phone
  5. plane — a tool
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cold — not warm
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rule — a law
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rule — government
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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