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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rest — a break
  8. rock — a stone
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. net — after costs
  11. kid — to tease
  12. board — a committee
  13. rest — what's left
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. net — in sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. prune — to trim
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. saw — the tool
  24. net — for catching

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