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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. lie — to recline
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. suit — to fit
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. file — a document
  7. mine — for digging
  8. file — a tool
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. snap — to click
  13. hand — help
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. suit — clothes
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — high quality
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. file — a line of people
  23. squash — the sport
  24. fine — all right

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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