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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: net · mug · file · present · mine · firm · rest · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mug — a face
  5. present — the time now
  6. firm — a company
  7. file — a line of people
  8. firm — steady
  9. rest — a break
  10. mug — to rob
  11. net — in sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mug — a cup
  14. firm — decided
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. present — a gift
  17. mate — a partner
  18. present — there
  19. net — after costs
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mine — for digging
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. net — for catching

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