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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. season — in sport
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. wind — moving air
  7. net — in sport
  8. wake — a trail
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. net — after costs
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. hand — help
  20. wind — moving air
  21. season — of the year
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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