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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. game — wild animals
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. file — a document
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. net — in sport
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. file — a line of people
  9. net — after costs
  10. fall — the season
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. fall — to drop
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fine — high quality
  15. game — a match
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. file — a tool
  19. fine — all right
  20. wind — moving air
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wind — moving air
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. fall — to drop

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