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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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. cold — the Cold War
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. board — to get on
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pound — a weight
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fall — to drop
  17. board — a committee
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mate — a friend
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fall — the season
  24. degree — an amount

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