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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rest — what's left
  3. march — the month
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bank — for money
  8. file — a line of people
  9. deal — to handle
  10. march — music
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bank — of a river
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. march — the month
  19. file — a tool
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. kick — in football
  22. bank — for money
  23. file — a document
  24. sharp — clever

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