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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're on a ________________ here.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. roll — on a roll
  2. file — a tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hand — help
  5. pop — soda
  6. kick — in football
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. roll — a cake
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. season — of the year
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. season — in sport
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. roll — a list
  22. hand — in cards
  23. season — to add flavour
  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