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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. net — after costs
  3. last — finally
  4. bank — for money
  5. file — a line of people
  6. land — a country
  7. last — to go on
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. sharp — clever
  11. last — final
  12. net — for catching
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. can — a tin
  15. file — a document
  16. land — to come down
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. can — to be able to
  21. net — in sport
  22. file — a tool
  23. land — ground
  24. sharp — exactly

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