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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. net — in sport
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rest — a break
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. last — final
  8. kick — in football
  9. rest — what's left
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. net — after costs
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. last — finally
  15. net — for catching
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. band — a ring
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. last — to go on
  22. band — a music group
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. rest — what's left

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