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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.

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: sharp · face · deal · chest · net · bass · perch · file

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bass — the fish
  8. file — a document
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. face — part of the head
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bass — low music
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. net — in sport
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. file — a tool
  22. perch — the fish
  23. chest — a box
  24. face — to confront

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