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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rush — hurry
  7. row — a line
  8. rest — what's left
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. row — to paddle
  12. suit — in cards
  13. land — to come down
  14. clip — a video
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. suit — clothes
  18. clip — to cut
  19. land — ground
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. land — a country
  24. safe — out of danger

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