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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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468
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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pit — in a race
  3. file — a tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. land — to come down
  6. file — a line of people
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. land — ground
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. swing — in golf
  12. mine — for digging
  13. swing — music
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. kick — in football
  18. land — a country
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for golf
  23. wind — moving air
  24. file — a document

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