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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: file · staff · stick · lash · pitch · net · cap · foot

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a tool
  3. net — after costs
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cap — a lid
  12. net — in sport
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. net — for catching
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. staff — employees
  18. file — a line of people
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. staff — employees
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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