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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 124 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. band — a music group
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. net — for catching
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cold — an illness
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bulb — for light
  11. file — a document
  12. cold — not warm
  13. band — a ring
  14. bulb — for light
  15. file — a tool
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — in cards
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. saw — the tool
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. net — in sport
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the body

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