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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. file — a line of people
  8. can — to be able to
  9. file — a document
  10. net — in sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. wind — moving air
  13. key — in music
  14. field — farmland
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. can — a tin
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. key — for a lock
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. file — a tool
  22. key — the most important part
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bark — to shout

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