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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. dip — to sink
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. saw — the tool
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bat — the animal
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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