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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. net — after costs
  3. mate — a partner
  4. net — in sport
  5. mate — a friend
  6. file — a document
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bear — the animal
  10. net — for catching
  11. file — a tool
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. hand — in cards
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bear — the animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mate — to breed
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. hand — help
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. file — a line of people

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