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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. firm — decided
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. file — a document
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. can — a tin
  8. net — in sport
  9. swing — in golf
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. swing — to play on
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. file — a line of people
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. swing — music
  17. file — a tool
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. kid — to tease
  20. net — for catching
  21. kid — child
  22. firm — a company
  23. net — after costs
  24. firm — steady

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