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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: chest · file · last · board · track · net · bulb · patient

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bulb — for light
  3. track — to keep track
  4. file — a line of people
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. chest — a box
  9. net — for catching
  10. file — a tool
  11. last — final
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. track — a song
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. board — a committee
  16. last — finally
  17. file — a document
  18. board — to get on
  19. net — after costs
  20. track — a path
  21. chest — of your body
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. last — to go on
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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