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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. saw — the tool
  4. season — of the year
  5. saw — the tool
  6. last — final
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. last — finally
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. mate — a friend
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mate — to breed
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. last — to go on
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fan — to cool the air

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