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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. net — for catching
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pop — music
  5. lean — to bend
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pop — soda
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pop — to visit
  12. net — after costs
  13. cell — in biology
  14. net — in sport
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rash — hasty
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. file — a tool
  22. lean — thin
  23. cell — a phone
  24. racket — for tennis

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