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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. hand — in cards
  3. tube — a container
  4. row — a line
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. suit — clothes
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pit — a hole
  12. suit — to fit
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. hand — help
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pit — in a race
  19. rush — hurry
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — a company
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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