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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: face · file · craft · net · kick · pound · straw · drill

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. file — a tool
  3. net — in sport
  4. file — a document
  5. net — after costs
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. craft — a skill
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. face — to confront
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. drill — army training
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — a weight
  15. net — for catching
  16. face — to point toward
  17. kick — in football
  18. file — a line of people
  19. craft — boats
  20. drill — the tool
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. face — part of the head

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