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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 · kick · cold · last · object · rash · mate · net

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. rash — a series
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. object — an aim
  5. last — finally
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. net — for catching
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cold — not warm
  10. last — to go on
  11. mate — a friend
  12. object — to protest
  13. last — final
  14. file — a document
  15. rash — hasty
  16. object — a thing
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. kick — in football
  22. mate — to breed
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mate — a partner

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