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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. suit — in cards
  5. land — a country
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bank — of a river
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. hand — in cards
  10. suit — to fit
  11. hand — help
  12. suit — clothes
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bank — for money
  15. object — a thing
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bank — for money
  23. snap — to click
  24. chair — a leader

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