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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. squash — to crush
  4. suit — to fit
  5. saw — the tool
  6. object — an aim
  7. snap — to click
  8. rest — what's left
  9. saw — the tool
  10. object — to protest
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bat — the animal
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rest — what's left
  15. object — a thing
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. suit — clothes
  24. rest — a break

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