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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 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. season — of the year
  5. file — a tool
  6. mine — for digging
  7. net — after costs
  8. season — in sport
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. net — in sport
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mate — a partner
  16. tear — from crying
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. file — a line of people
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mate — a friend
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. file — a document

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