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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 116 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: swing · board · mark · net · mate · file · fine · scale

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. board — a committee
  5. net — in sport
  6. file — a tool
  7. board — to get on
  8. net — after costs
  9. file — a document
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mate — a friend
  14. swing — to play on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mark — a trace
  17. scale — in music
  18. file — a line of people
  19. swing — in golf
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. mate — to breed
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. swing — music

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