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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. snap — to click
  3. fork — in a road
  4. tear — to rip
  5. suit — clothes
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bark — to shout
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pass — a permit
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. suit — in cards
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. tear — from crying
  21. swing — in golf
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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