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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. file — a line of people
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. file — a tool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cue — for pool
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. net — for catching
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. file — a document
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. net — in sport
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. safe — out of danger

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