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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bark — to shout
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. race — humankind
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mug — a face
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bark — of a tree

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