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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. squash — to crush
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. plane — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. net — in sport
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. deal — to handle
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. squash — the sport
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. file — a tool
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. craft — boats
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. file — a document
  23. net — after costs
  24. bat — for baseball

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