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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. row — a line
  4. file — a document
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. row — to paddle
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. file — a tool
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. ground — crushed
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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