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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.

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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: rest · rock · chip · net · season · suit · straw · track

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. suit — to fit
  3. net — in sport
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rest — a break
  7. track — a song
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. track — a path
  10. net — after costs
  11. rest — what's left
  12. suit — clothes
  13. season — in sport
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. suit — in cards
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. rock — a stone
  19. season — of the year
  20. chip — to eat
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. chip — for betting
  23. track — to keep track
  24. net — for catching

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