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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spell — a short time
  5. file — a document
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. net — in sport
  10. perch — the fish
  11. spell — letters
  12. net — for catching
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fall — to drop
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fall — the season
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spell — magic

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