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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bat — the animal
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. net — after costs
  7. file — a document
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. net — for catching
  12. mate — a friend
  13. file — a tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. foot — a measure
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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