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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. squash — to crush
  5. saw — the tool
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. net — after costs
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. snap — to click
  14. march — the month
  15. stem — to come from
  16. net — for catching
  17. march — music
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. march — the month
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mine — for digging
  22. net — in sport
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stem — of a plant

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