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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. last — final
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ball — a great time
  6. last — to go on
  7. bound — obliged
  8. file — a tool
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bound — certain
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. file — a line of people
  16. net — for catching
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. last — finally
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. net — in sport
  21. file — a document
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bound — tied together
  24. kid — child

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