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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. suit — clothes
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rash — a series
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. root — the cause
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. fall — the season
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. chip — to eat
  24. root — of a word

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