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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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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: file · net · charge · row · bat · last · tube · ball

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. file — a line of people
  4. last — to go on
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. charge — in control
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. last — final
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. tube — the underground
  13. last — finally
  14. charge — a price
  15. bat — the animal
  16. tube — a container
  17. net — after costs
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. file — a document
  20. row — a line
  21. ball — a dance
  22. row — to paddle
  23. charge — electricity
  24. ball — a great time

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