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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cue — a signal
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cue — for pool
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — after costs
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. present — a gift
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mine — for digging
  19. present — there
  20. cue — a hint
  21. tear — from crying
  22. present — the time now
  23. net — in sport
  24. mine — an explosive

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