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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. net — for catching
  3. mate — a partner
  4. hand — help
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. file — a line of people
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a tool
  12. net — in sport
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. net — after costs
  16. file — a document
  17. mate — to breed
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mate — a friend
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. hand — in cards

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