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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. cold — an illness
  3. suit — to fit
  4. land — a country
  5. suit — clothes
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bear — the animal
  9. land — to come down
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. land — ground
  14. pop — to visit
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pop — soda
  17. wake — a trail
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. clip — a video
  20. pop — music
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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