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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.

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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: wake · scale · arm · racket · lie · bay · file · net

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lie — to recline
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. net — after costs
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. scale — in music
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. file — a document
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. file — a tool
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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