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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. staff — a stick
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. band — a music group
  7. pit — in a race
  8. march — the month
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. kick — in football
  11. march — music
  12. game — wild animals
  13. staff — employees
  14. game — a match
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. file — a line of people
  17. march — the month
  18. pit — a hole
  19. file — a document
  20. staff — employees
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — lets stay

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