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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. bear — the animal
  3. suit — clothes
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. chest — a box
  7. key — for a lock
  8. chest — of your body
  9. suit — to fit
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. fine — all right
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cold — an illness
  16. file — a document
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. file — a tool
  20. cold — not warm
  21. squash — to crush
  22. key — the most important part
  23. fine — high quality
  24. key — in music

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