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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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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: pit · net · wake · cap · wind · rock · suit · fork

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. net — after costs
  3. suit — to fit
  4. net — in sport
  5. fork — in a road
  6. suit — in cards
  7. rock — music
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pit — in a race
  12. suit — clothes
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cap — a hat
  22. net — for catching
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cap — a lid

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