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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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. can — to be able to
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. can — a tin
  6. field — a subject
  7. kid — child
  8. band — a ring
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. can — a tin
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. band — a music group
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. field — for sport
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. field — farmland
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ruler — for measuring

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