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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. last — finally
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. track — a path
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fall — to drop
  8. last — final
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a trace
  12. last — to go on
  13. fall — the season
  14. saw — the tool
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. net — in sport
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. track — a song
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mark — a grade
  22. net — after costs
  23. fall — to drop
  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