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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. season — in sport
  7. wake — a trail
  8. season — of the year
  9. mate — a friend
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wind — moving air
  15. toast — bread
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mine — for digging
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wind — moving air
  20. net — in sport
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. mate — a partner
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. wake — before a funeral

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