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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 124 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. file — a line of people
  4. suit — in cards
  5. wind — moving air
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mark — a trace
  8. suit — clothes
  9. mark — a grade
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. file — a document
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wind — moving air
  17. suit — to fit
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. saw — the tool
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. file — a tool
  24. mark — to pay attention

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