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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. net — for catching
  3. pop — to visit
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. object — to protest
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pop — music
  9. object — an aim
  10. wound — an injury
  11. file — a tool
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ground — a position
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pop — soda
  17. file — a document
  18. object — a thing
  19. net — after costs
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ground — crushed
  22. saw — the tool
  23. net — in sport
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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