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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cap — a lid
  3. net — for catching
  4. pop — music
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. net — in sport
  9. file — a line of people
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. file — a tool
  12. spring — the season
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cap — of ice
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pop — to visit
  19. spring — of water
  20. pop — soda
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cap — a hat
  23. net — after costs
  24. spring — a coil

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