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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. net — for catching
  3. rest — a break
  4. net — after costs
  5. firm — decided
  6. court — for sport
  7. key — for a lock
  8. court — of law
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. key — in music
  14. wake — a trail
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rest — what's left
  17. firm — steady
  18. key — the most important part
  19. rest — what's left
  20. court — of a king
  21. kid — child
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. net — in sport
  24. firm — a company

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