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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. craft — a skill
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. file — a document
  6. net — for catching
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. chip — to eat
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. file — a tool
  12. tube — the underground
  13. file — a line of people
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. tube — a container
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. craft — boats
  24. patient — a sick person

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