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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. kick — in football
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. race — a contest
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. hand — help
  10. race — humankind
  11. file — a line of people
  12. spell — letters
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fine — high quality
  15. race — the arms race
  16. swing — to play on
  17. file — a document
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. swing — music
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. swing — in golf
  23. hand — in cards
  24. spell — magic

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