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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cue — a signal
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. shower — to wash
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wind — moving air
  10. shower — rain
  11. club — a group
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. club — for golf
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. kick — in football
  16. file — a document
  17. club — for dancing
  18. file — a tool
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cue — a hint
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cue — for pool
  24. foot — a measure

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