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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. court — of law
  3. rash — a series
  4. wind — moving air
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. court — for sport
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chip — to eat
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. chip — for betting
  23. court — of a king
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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