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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. content — the amount
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. content — happy
  7. file — a document
  8. net — after costs
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. net — for catching
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. temple — a place of worship

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