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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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. stand — for spectators
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. clip — a video
  9. court — for sport
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wound — an injury
  12. clip — for paper
  13. toast — bread
  14. court — of law
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stand — to bear
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. court — of a king
  24. toast — the most admired

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