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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — clothes
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. row — to paddle
  6. suit — in cards
  7. row — a line
  8. spring — the season
  9. wake — a trail
  10. sharp — clever
  11. net — for catching
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. spring — a coil
  16. net — after costs
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. spring — of water
  22. band — a ring
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. net — in sport

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