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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · land · ball · last · foot · file · rest · pit

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. ball — a dance
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. rest — what's left
  5. last — to go on
  6. net — for catching
  7. file — a document
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. land — to come down
  10. rest — a break
  11. last — final
  12. foot — a measure
  13. net — in sport
  14. rest — what's left
  15. net — after costs
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. last — finally
  18. file — a tool
  19. land — a country
  20. file — a line of people
  21. ball — a great time
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a hole

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