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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. net — in sport
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. current — electric
  5. current — of water
  6. file — a tool
  7. net — after costs
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. net — for catching
  12. file — a document
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. current — happening now
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pitch — completely

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