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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wound — an injury
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — to fit
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. charge — a price
  9. spring — of water
  10. suit — clothes
  11. net — in sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. spring — the season
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. charge — in control
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. net — after costs
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. charge — electricity
  22. spring — a coil
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. nail — for a hammer

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