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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. net — for catching
  3. suit — to fit
  4. net — after costs
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. drill — army training
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mug — to rob
  11. squash — to crush
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. squash — the sport
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. drill — a practice
  16. net — in sport
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mug — a cup
  19. file — a line of people
  20. suit — clothes
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. mug — a face
  24. nail — for a hammer

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