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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: ball · file · suit · chair · band · fan · bat · net

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. net — after costs
  3. file — a document
  4. suit — clothes
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. file — a tool
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. suit — to fit
  10. band — a ring
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. ball — a great time
  13. suit — in cards
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. net — in sport
  16. chair — a leader
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bat — the animal
  22. net — for catching
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bat — in an idiom

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