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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. net — after costs
  4. wake — a trail
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. staff — employees
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. staff — employees
  13. mine — for digging
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. key — the most important part
  19. staff — a stick
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. key — in music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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