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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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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: mate · file · cell · kick · net · toast · foot · straw

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  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. foot — part of the body
  2. net — for catching
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. file — a tool
  7. foot — a measure
  8. file — a document
  9. toast — bread
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. cell — a phone
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mate — a friend
  17. kick — in football
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. net — after costs
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  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