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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 124 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — clothes
  3. present — the time now
  4. land — ground
  5. fall — to drop
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. present — a gift
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. suit — in cards
  14. band — a music group
  15. land — to come down
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fall — the season
  21. band — a ring
  22. present — there
  23. land — a country
  24. racket — a loud noise

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