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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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. season — of the year
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wind — moving air
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. land — to come down
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rash — a series
  18. season — in sport
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rash — hasty
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. game — a match
  24. sharp — exactly

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