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

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. net — for catching
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. net — after costs
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rash — a series
  10. net — in sport
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals

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