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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. land — ground
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. kick — in football
  8. land — a country
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bat — the animal
  11. file — a tool
  12. suit — in cards
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. land — to come down
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. drill — the tool
  17. suit — clothes
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. suit — to fit
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

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