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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.

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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. face — to confront
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. face — to point toward
  7. kick — in football
  8. rush — hurry
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. file — a line of people
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bank — for money
  16. file — a tool
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bank — of a river
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cold — an illness
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bank — for money
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. foot — part of the body

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