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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
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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: spell · file · rock · game · land · net

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. game — a match
  5. rock — music
  6. net — in sport
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. net — for catching
  11. file — a tool
  12. rock — a stone
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. land — ground
  17. spell — magic
  18. net — after costs

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