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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. net — after costs
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. saw — the tool
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. staff — employees
  7. suit — clothes
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. scale — in music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. net — for catching
  13. scale — size or range
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. suit — to fit
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. game — a match
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. suit — in cards
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. saw — the tool
  23. net — in sport
  24. game — wild animals

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