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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. net — after costs
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. file — a tool
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bass — low music
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. net — for catching
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fork — in a road
  16. net — in sport
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. suit — clothes
  19. suit — in cards
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. cell — in biology
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cell — in a prison

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