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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 120 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: net · pop · chest · file · temple · ground · saw · kid

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. pop — to visit
  3. net — in sport
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. file — a line of people
  7. chest — of your body
  8. net — for catching
  9. file — a tool
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pop — soda
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. saw — the tool
  17. net — after costs
  18. ground — crushed
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. pop — music
  21. kid — child
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. kid — to tease

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