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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 116 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. file — a tool
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rash — a series
  8. bear — the animal
  9. suit — clothes
  10. file — a document
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. file — a line of people
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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