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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 124 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bear — the animal
  4. object — a thing
  5. suit — in cards
  6. band — a music group
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. band — a ring
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. last — to go on
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. object — to protest
  22. vault — a safe
  23. object — an aim
  24. band — a rubber band

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