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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. file — a document
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. row — to paddle
  8. squash — the sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. row — a line
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. ground — the earth
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. suit — clothes
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. suit — in cards
  19. squash — to crush
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. suit — to fit
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. kick — a thrill

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