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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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Word bank
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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 · mark · straw · rush · pitcher · spell · kid · wake

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. kid — child
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. spell — a short time
  13. kid — to tease
  14. suit — to fit
  15. wake — a trail
  16. suit — in cards
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pitcher — a jug

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