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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. fall — the season
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. staff — employees
  9. tube — a container
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. staff — a stick
  16. file — a line of people
  17. fall — to drop
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. tube — the underground
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. staff — employees
  24. mouse — the animal

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