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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mate — a friend
  5. suit — in cards
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mate — a partner
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — low music
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lean — to bend
  18. capital — money
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. suit — to fit
  21. wind — moving air
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. capital — a city

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