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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. firm — decided
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. firm — a company
  5. file — a tool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. net — for catching
  10. mine — for digging
  11. file — a line of people
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. sharp — clever
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. firm — steady
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. file — a document
  22. net — in sport
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. sharp — exactly

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