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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. net — after costs
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. net — for catching
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. race — a contest
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. race — humankind
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. net — in sport
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. leaves — lets stay

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