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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 · net · bear · foot · kid · pitch · mug

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. game — a match
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mug — a face
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitch — completely
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mug — a cup
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. file — a tool
  16. net — for catching
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. file — a document
  20. foot — a measure
  21. net — in sport
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. game — wild animals

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