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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 116 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. net — for catching
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. current — happening now
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. land — a country
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. field — for sport
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. file — a line of people
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. current — of water
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. file — a tool
  22. current — electric
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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