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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rest — what's left
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wind — moving air
  9. drill — a practice
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rest — a break
  13. bore — to tire
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. fork — in a road
  17. stand — to bear
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. drill — the tool
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. drill — army training
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bore — to drill

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