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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. net — for catching
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wound — an injury
  8. net — in sport
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bear — the animal
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wound — an injury
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. vault — a safe
  18. chip — for betting
  19. net — after costs
  20. snap — to click
  21. suit — to fit
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. tear — from crying
  24. suit — clothes

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