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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. object — to protest
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cold — an illness
  9. hand — help
  10. object — a thing
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cold — not warm
  14. suit — to fit
  15. kid — child
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bank — for money
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bank — for money
  22. object — an aim
  23. suit — clothes
  24. cold — the Cold War

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