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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. fall — the season
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. club — for golf
  6. branch — a division
  7. net — in sport
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. mine — for digging
  10. kick — in football
  11. file — a document
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — a group
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. file — a tool
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bowl — to roll

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