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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. net — in sport
  3. file — a tool
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. file — a document
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — low music
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. track — to keep track
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bass — the fish
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ruler — for measuring

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