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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 116 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'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fine — all right
  4. key — for a lock
  5. can — a tin
  6. tear — from crying
  7. suit — to fit
  8. tear — from crying
  9. suit — clothes
  10. can — to be able to
  11. kid — child
  12. key — in music
  13. tear — to rip
  14. kid — to tease
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. tube — a container
  18. rash — hasty
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fine — high quality
  21. can — a tin
  22. rash — a series
  23. key — the most important part
  24. rash — on the skin

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