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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. file — a tool
  3. club — for dancing
  4. sharp — clever
  5. lie — to recline
  6. foot — a measure
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. file — a document
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. ground — a position
  13. kick — in football
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. club — for golf
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. club — a group
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. ground — the earth
  24. file — a line of people

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