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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. swing — music
  7. suit — to fit
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. suit — in cards
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. squash — the sport
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. squash — to crush
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cell — a phone
  19. suit — clothes
  20. tear — from crying
  21. snap — to click
  22. cell — in biology
  23. swing — to play on
  24. tear — to rip

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