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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: cap · file · bay · ball · swing · pit · wave · net

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. net — for catching
  3. file — a tool
  4. swing — music
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — in a race
  10. ball — a great time
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. cap — a hat
  14. net — in sport
  15. ball — a dance
  16. file — a document
  17. swing — in golf
  18. net — after costs
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cap — of ice
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. cap — a lid
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wave — of the sea

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