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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: tear · file · net · deal · cell · bear · track · key

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bear — the animal
  4. file — a document
  5. track — a song
  6. deal — to handle
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bear — the animal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. key — the most important part
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. track — to keep track
  14. tear — from crying
  15. file — a tool
  16. track — a path
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cell — a phone
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. key — for a lock
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. key — in music

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