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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 116 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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. firm — a company
  6. net — for catching
  7. rest — what's left
  8. firm — decided
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. rest — a break
  12. spring — a coil
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rest — what's left
  16. spring — of water
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. scale — in music
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. firm — steady
  22. net — after costs
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. spring — the season

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