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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. suit — to fit
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bear — the animal
  12. snap — to click
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. capital — money
  16. rush — hurry
  17. suit — in cards
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — a weight

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