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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. suit — clothes
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tear — to rip
  8. suit — in cards
  9. tear — from crying
  10. net — after costs
  11. staff — employees
  12. net — for catching
  13. suit — to fit
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — in sport
  18. wake — a trail
  19. staff — employees
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. squash — to crush
  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