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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. last — to go on
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. net — for catching
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. net — after costs
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wake — a trail
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. net — in sport
  19. last — final
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. last — finally
  24. tube — in a tire

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