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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  3. root — of a plant
  4. fall — the season
  5. cold — an illness
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. last — final
  8. ball — a great time
  9. squash — to crush
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. last — to go on
  14. suit — to fit
  15. cold — not warm
  16. suit — in cards
  17. last — finally
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. snap — to click
  21. ball — a dance
  22. squash — the sport
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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