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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: rock · bay · rest · net · pitcher · cold · cue · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. net — in sport
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. rest — a break
  10. cue — a signal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cold — not warm
  13. net — for catching
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rock — music
  16. file — a tool
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cue — a hint
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. cue — for pool
  23. net — after costs
  24. cold — an illness

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