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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: fork · net · rest · foot · file · mate · racket · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. mate — a friend
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pop — soda
  7. net — after costs
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mate — a partner
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. net — in sport
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. net — for catching
  22. rest — what's left
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mate — to breed

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