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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: rest · mine · pass · season · foot · file · net · mug

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mine — for digging
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. mug — a face
  6. net — after costs
  7. season — of the year
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. pass — a permit
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. file — a line of people
  15. season — in sport
  16. rest — a break
  17. file — a document
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mug — to rob
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. file — a tool

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