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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: file · mate · root · foot · bound · rock · net · last

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. root — of a word
  3. mate — a friend
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. file — a document
  7. net — in sport
  8. last — finally
  9. last — final
  10. bound — tied together
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bound — obliged
  13. root — the cause
  14. file — a line of people
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. rock — music
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bound — certain
  21. last — to go on
  22. rock — a stone
  23. file — a tool
  24. foot — the bottom

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