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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 124 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. track — to keep track
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. track — a path
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. track — a song
  10. last — finally
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. last — to go on
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. stem — to come from
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bore — to drill
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. net — for catching
  23. last — final
  24. net — in sport

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