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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. track — a path
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. file — a tool
  7. track — to keep track
  8. swing — in golf
  9. file — a line of people
  10. board — a committee
  11. cell — a phone
  12. kick — in football
  13. roll — a list
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. file — a document
  18. track — a song
  19. cell — in biology
  20. roll — a cake
  21. swing — to play on
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. swing — music
  24. board — to get on

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