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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 120 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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. club — for dancing
  5. lean — thin
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tube — a container
  10. rest — a break
  11. lean — to bend
  12. club — for golf
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. tube — the underground
  17. file — a document
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. kick — in football
  20. club — a group
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. wake — a trail

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