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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wound — an injury
  4. file — a document
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bat — the animal
  7. net — in sport
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. file — a tool
  10. bass — the fish
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bass — low music
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. net — for catching
  20. plane — a tool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. net — after costs

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