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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 116 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: fork · pitcher · hide · file · deal · net · degree · lie

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. degree — from a university
  4. file — a tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. net — for catching
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — to handle
  10. degree — an amount
  11. file — a document
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. net — after costs
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. file — a line of people
  19. fork — in a road
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fork — a garden 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