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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: bay · roll · rest · squash · game · tear · suit · band

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. tear — to rip
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. roll — a cake
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. rest — what's left
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. tear — from crying
  15. roll — a list
  16. game — wild animals
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — the sport
  19. band — a music group
  20. game — a match
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. squash — to crush
  24. suit — clothes

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