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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · lie · suit · jam · kick · prune · pitcher · wound

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. prune — to trim
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. prune — to trim
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. cold — an illness
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wound — an injury
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. cold — not warm
  23. kick — in football
  24. suit — to fit

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