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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · mine · last · suit · fall · net · mate · race

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. race — a contest
  3. staff — employees
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fall — the season
  8. last — to go on
  9. mine — for digging
  10. race — humankind
  11. net — for catching
  12. mate — to breed
  13. suit — clothes
  14. fall — to drop
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mate — a friend
  19. last — finally
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. suit — in cards
  22. last — final
  23. suit — to fit
  24. net — in sport

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