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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. net — for catching
  4. file — a tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. season — in sport
  7. rush — hurry
  8. game — a match
  9. can — to be able to
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bore — to tire
  15. can — a tin
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. file — a document
  18. can — a tin
  19. file — a line of people
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. season — of the year
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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