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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. net — in sport
  4. drill — army training
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cap — of ice
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mine — for digging
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. row — a line
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. net — after costs
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cap — a lid
  17. row — to paddle
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cap — a hat
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. drill — a practice

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