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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 116 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: bore · net · charge · firm · last · rock · file · wave

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. net — after costs
  2. last — final
  3. firm — a company
  4. net — for catching
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rock — music
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. charge — in control
  9. bore — to drill
  10. last — to go on
  11. charge — a price
  12. last — finally
  13. firm — decided
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. firm — steady
  17. bore — to tire
  18. charge — electricity
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  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