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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. tear — from crying
  3. kick — in football
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bat — the animal
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. suit — clothes
  8. snap — to click
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. tear — from crying
  13. net — for catching
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. net — after costs
  17. mine — for digging
  18. tear — to rip
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. net — in sport
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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