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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · deal · pitcher · row · tear · bay · fall · file

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tear — from crying
  4. suit — in cards
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fall — the season
  8. suit — clothes
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. suit — to fit
  12. tear — to rip
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. fall — to drop
  16. row — to paddle
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. fall — to drop
  20. file — a document
  21. tear — from crying
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. row — a line
  24. file — a tool

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