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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. tear — from crying
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rule — a law
  8. game — a match
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. game — wild animals
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. suit — in cards
  14. spell — magic
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. spell — a short time
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. spell — letters
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rule — government
  24. suit — clothes

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