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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. track — a song
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. net — for catching
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. saw — the tool
  10. hand — in cards
  11. saw — the tool
  12. foot — a measure
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. hand — help
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. net — in sport
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — a tool
  20. rule — government
  21. net — after costs
  22. rule — a law
  23. file — a line of people
  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