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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: mate · pop · racket · staff · mark · net · cap · file

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. file — a document
  3. mate — a partner
  4. file — a tool
  5. net — after costs
  6. mark — a trace
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mate — a friend
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. mark — a grade
  14. net — in sport
  15. pop — soda
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cap — of ice
  18. pop — music
  19. net — for catching
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mate — to breed

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