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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: kick · rock · tear · mark · suit · bear · deal · last

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rock — music
  3. suit — to fit
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. last — final
  6. deal — to handle
  7. last — to go on
  8. mark — a trace
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. kick — in football
  14. suit — in cards
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bear — the animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. tear — from crying
  23. last — finally
  24. mark — to pay attention

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