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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. last — final
  3. firm — a company
  4. net — in sport
  5. fork — in a road
  6. file — a tool
  7. last — to go on
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bank — for money
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. last — finally
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. firm — decided
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bank — of a river
  19. file — a document
  20. net — for catching
  21. firm — steady
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bank — for money
  24. leaves — to go away

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