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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. file — a line of people
  4. club — for golf
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. file — a document
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. net — in sport
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. net — for catching
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. saw — the tool
  17. file — a tool
  18. club — for dancing
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wind — moving air
  22. club — a group
  23. net — after costs
  24. wind — moving air

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