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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mark — a grade
  6. net — for catching
  7. pitch — completely
  8. branch — a division
  9. net — in sport
  10. squash — the sport
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. squash — to crush
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. net — after costs
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mark — a trace
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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