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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · file · plane · net · chip · prune

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. file — a line of people
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. plane — a tool
  9. chip — for betting
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. net — for catching
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. game — wild animals
  14. net — in sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. game — a match
  17. chip — to eat
  18. prune — to trim

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