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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 124 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
468
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: cold · hide · saw · net · suit · key · wake · march

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. net — in sport
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. key — for a lock
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. suit — to fit
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — after costs
  11. march — the month
  12. suit — clothes
  13. key — in music
  14. march — the month
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. net — for catching
  18. wake — a trail
  19. march — music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. suit — in cards
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cold — an illness

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