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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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. lie — an untruth
  3. stock — goods
  4. wake — a trail
  5. tube — a container
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. lie — to recline
  8. rash — hasty
  9. present — there
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. stock — shares
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rash — a series
  21. present — a gift
  22. bass — low music
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. present — the time now

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