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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — in a race
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. saw — the tool
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mate — a friend
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. net — for catching
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mate — to breed
  12. saw — the tool
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. branch — a division
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. net — in sport
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. net — after costs
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mate — a partner

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