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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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 — a piece of wood
  2. rule — a law
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. bass — low music
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. current — electric
  10. lie — to recline
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bass — the fish
  13. track — a path
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. current — of water
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rule — government
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. current — happening now
  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