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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.

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: hand · net · stick · cue · temple · present · land · file

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. land — a country
  5. cue — for pool
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. present — a gift
  8. file — a tool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. hand — help
  14. net — for catching
  15. hand — in cards
  16. present — there
  17. net — in sport
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. present — the time now
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. net — after costs
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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