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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 · bat · fine · cell · pass · net · mouse · leaves

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. fine — all right
  3. file — a line of people
  4. cell — a phone
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. net — after costs
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fine — high quality
  22. file — a document
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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