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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. net — for catching
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kid — to tease
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. saw — the tool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. kid — child
  13. net — after costs
  14. saw — the tool
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. suit — in cards
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. plane — a tool
  20. suit — clothes
  21. net — in sport
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. racket — for tennis

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