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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. cold — not warm
  3. pit — a hole
  4. suit — to fit
  5. saw — the tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. fall — to drop
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fall — the season
  11. wound — an injury
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. suit — in cards
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pit — in a race
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cold — an illness
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. fall — to drop

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