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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. track — a song
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. net — for catching
  10. track — a path
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. file — a line of people
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. file — a tool
  16. bore — to drill
  17. plane — a tool
  18. race — a contest
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wind — moving air
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bore — to tire
  24. file — a document

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