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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: spring · rule · net · track · deal · board · file · fine

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fine — high quality
  3. track — a song
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. board — a committee
  7. file — a tool
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. track — to keep track
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. fine — all right
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rule — a law
  15. deal — to handle
  16. board — to get on
  17. file — a document
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. spring — of water
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. spring — the season
  24. net — in sport

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