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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. net — in sport
  3. club — for dancing
  4. net — for catching
  5. suit — in cards
  6. club — for golf
  7. mate — a partner
  8. root — the cause
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. last — to go on
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mate — a friend
  13. root — of a plant
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. suit — to fit
  16. club — a group
  17. last — final
  18. wake — a trail
  19. net — after costs
  20. root — of a word
  21. suit — clothes
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mate — to breed

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