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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. kick — in football
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bank — for money
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. net — in sport
  8. band — a music group
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fine — all right
  11. bank — for money
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bear — the animal
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fine — high quality
  17. band — a ring
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. net — for catching
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bank — of a river
  23. net — after costs
  24. file — a tool

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