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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: file · net · current · ground · chest · march · nail · spell

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. file — a line of people
  3. current — electric
  4. spell — a short time
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spell — letters
  7. net — in sport
  8. ground — a position
  9. net — for catching
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. current — happening now
  12. chest — a box
  13. march — the month
  14. current — of water
  15. spell — magic
  16. march — music
  17. ground — the earth
  18. file — a document
  19. chest — of your body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. file — a tool
  22. ground — crushed
  23. net — after costs
  24. march — the month

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