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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. game — a match
  3. suit — in cards
  4. game — wild animals
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. suit — clothes
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. tear — from crying
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. capital — a city
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. capital — money
  22. stand — to bear
  23. spring — the season
  24. suit — to fit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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