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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. craft — a skill
  3. swing — to play on
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bound — obliged
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. swing — in golf
  10. mug — a face
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pit — a hole
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bound — tied together
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. craft — boats
  22. pit — in a race
  23. swing — music
  24. bound — certain

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