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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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. wave — of the sea
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cold — an illness
  6. hand — help
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. field — for sport
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hand — in cards
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cold — not warm
  24. lie — to recline

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