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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. hand — in cards
  7. foot — a measure
  8. branch — a division
  9. hand — help
  10. club — for golf
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. net — for catching
  13. file — a line of people
  14. net — in sport
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — a permit
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. file — a tool
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. club — for dancing
  22. net — after costs
  23. club — a group
  24. pitch — completely

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