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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. net — for catching
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. track — a path
  6. spell — magic
  7. wind — moving air
  8. net — after costs
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. track — to keep track
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. track — a song
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wind — moving air
  17. net — in sport
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rash — hasty
  20. scale — in music
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. spell — letters
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rash — a series

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