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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. dip — to sink
  3. file — a document
  4. net — after costs
  5. drill — a practice
  6. file — a line of people
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. net — in sport
  10. file — a tool
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. branch — a division
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — in football
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. net — for catching
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. branch — of a bank

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