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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. net — after costs
  3. charge — in control
  4. degree — an amount
  5. charge — a price
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. last — to go on
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. net — in sport
  10. charge — electricity
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. file — a document
  18. saw — the tool
  19. degree — from a university
  20. net — for catching
  21. degree — temperature
  22. kick — in football
  23. file — a tool
  24. saw — the tool

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