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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 120 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. She's very handy 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. net — for catching
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. tube — the underground
  4. snap — to click
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. file — a tool
  9. net — after costs
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. net — in sport
  16. tube — a container
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. file — a document
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. deal — to handle
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. saw — the 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