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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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pop — soda
  3. court — of law
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. court — for sport
  13. pop — to visit
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. pop — music
  16. court — of a king
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. file — a document
  19. net — in sport
  20. file — a tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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