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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pound — a weight
  3. can — a tin
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. file — a document
  6. net — after costs
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. can — a tin
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. can — to be able to
  13. net — in sport
  14. band — a ring
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. band — a music group
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. file — a tool
  22. net — for catching
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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