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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. hand — help
  4. file — a document
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. hand — in cards
  7. face — to point toward
  8. prune — to trim
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. face — to confront
  13. net — after costs
  14. face — part of the head
  15. file — a tool
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. net — in sport
  18. rush — hurry
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wave — of the sea

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