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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 120 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: mouse · cap · deal · cold · net · board · foot · file

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cold — not warm
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. net — after costs
  6. file — a line of people
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. file — a document
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cold — an illness
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. net — for catching
  15. cap — a lid
  16. net — in sport
  17. cap — of ice
  18. file — a tool
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. deal — an agreement

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