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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 124 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  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. net — for catching
  2. mate — to breed
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rest — a break
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. net — in sport
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bank — for money
  9. net — after costs
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. file — a tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mate — a partner
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chair — a leader
  17. file — a document
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bank — of a river
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bank — for money
  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