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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. tear — to rip
  4. staff — employees
  5. net — after costs
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — a practice
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wake — a trail
  10. net — for catching
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. tear — from crying
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. staff — a stick
  16. drill — the tool
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. staff — employees
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. tear — from crying
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. leaves — lets stay

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