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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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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: net · mug · spell · saw · game · mate · leaves · wave

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mug — a cup
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. net — in sport
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. net — after costs
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. spell — a short time
  19. game — a match
  20. mate — a friend
  21. net — for catching
  22. spell — letters
  23. saw — the tool
  24. spell — magic

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