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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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Word bank
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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mate — a partner
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fork — in a road
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — a price
  16. file — a document
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. file — a line of people
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wind — to turn a key

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