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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. game — wild animals
  8. suit — in cards
  9. fall — to drop
  10. game — a match
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. tear — to rip
  18. suit — to fit
  19. fall — the season
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. tear — from crying

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