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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stand — to bear
  4. rush — hurry
  5. file — a tool
  6. kick — in football
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. file — a document
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

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