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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. band — a music group
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — there
  6. object — an aim
  7. band — a ring
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. present — a gift
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. suit — to fit
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. can — a tin
  14. wake — a trail
  15. can — a tin
  16. cold — not warm
  17. object — to protest
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. suit — in cards
  20. cold — an illness
  21. object — a thing
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. can — to be able to

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