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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 116 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. track — a song
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. deal — to handle
  6. track — to keep track
  7. key — for a lock
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. file — a document
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stand — to bear
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bat — the animal
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. file — a tool
  18. track — a path
  19. pit — in a race
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. key — in music
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. kick — in football
  24. bat — in an idiom

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