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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. file — a document
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. fork — in a road
  6. face — part of the head
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. file — a line of people
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. march — the month
  18. file — a tool
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. row — a line
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. fork — to eat with

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