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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 116 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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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 · kick · squash · hide · net · last · craft · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. last — to go on
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. net — after costs
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. last — finally
  7. net — in sport
  8. craft — boats
  9. net — for catching
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. squash — to crush
  14. kick — in football
  15. craft — a skill
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. last — final
  20. squash — the sport
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. hide — to keep secret

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