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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
468
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: file · game · mate · net · rash · craft · stick · fine

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. game — a match
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rash — hasty
  5. net — for catching
  6. fine — all right
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. net — after costs
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fine — high quality
  11. file — a line of people
  12. game — wild animals
  13. craft — boats
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rash — a series
  16. mate — to breed
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. file — a tool
  19. net — in sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mate — a partner
  22. craft — a skill
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. rash — on the skin

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