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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitch — completely
  11. chest — a box
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. deal — to handle
  16. chest — of your body
  17. shower — to wash
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. shower — rain

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