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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mine — for digging
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. suit — in cards
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. suit — to fit
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. content — the amount
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tear — to rip
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. content — happy
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. suit — clothes
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. tear — from crying

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