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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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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. file — a document
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. file — a line of people
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. file — a tool
  7. swing — to play on
  8. row — a line
  9. net — after costs
  10. swing — in golf
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. row — to paddle
  16. swing — music
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. net — in sport
  19. march — the month
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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