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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pop — music
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bound — certain
  7. swing — in golf
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bound — obliged
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pop — soda
  13. swing — to play on
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pop — to visit
  19. swing — music
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. hide — to keep secret

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