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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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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: cap · patient · net · deal · rule · file · object · wind

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. file — a document
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wind — moving air
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rule — government
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rule — a law
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. net — in sport
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. file — a tool
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — to protest
  24. wind — moving air

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