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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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. shower — to wash
  4. field — farmland
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bank — for money
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bank — for money
  9. chair — a leader
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. field — a subject
  14. plane — a tool
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pit — in a race
  17. field — for sport
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pit — a hole
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. shower — rain
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bank — of a river

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