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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.

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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: chest · ball · net · file · bay · capital

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. net — in sport
  6. file — a line of people
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. file — a tool
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. chest — of your body
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. file — a document
  17. capital — money
  18. ball — a dance

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