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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 120 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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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: rest · net · craft · wound · fine · kid · file · stick

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a document
  3. wound — an injury
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wound — an injury
  6. craft — a skill
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rest — what's left
  9. file — a tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. net — after costs
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — all right
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. kid — child
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. craft — boats
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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