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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a document
  3. net — in sport
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. present — there
  6. scale — size or range
  7. present — a gift
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. scale — in music
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fall — the season
  15. file — a tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. net — for catching
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a skill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. present — the time now
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. net — after costs

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