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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 120 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. face — to confront
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. capital — money
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. band — a music group
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pit — a hole
  12. wound — an injury
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pit — in a race
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. current — of water
  21. capital — a city
  22. wound — an injury
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. band — a ring

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