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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 124 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. net — for catching
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. net — after costs
  6. drill — the tool
  7. file — a document
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. drill — army training
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. foot — a measure
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wound — an injury
  16. net — in sport
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. drill — a practice
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wound — an injury

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