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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. staff — employees
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. clip — to cut
  12. court — for sport
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. tube — a container
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. court — of law
  17. clip — a video
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. court — of a king
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bat — the animal
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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