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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. suit — clothes
  3. land — ground
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. suit — in cards
  6. lean — thin
  7. land — a country
  8. hand — in cards
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. shower — rain
  11. land — to come down
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. suit — to fit
  17. mug — to rob
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mug — a face
  21. dip — to sink
  22. mug — a cup
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. lean — to bend

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