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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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Word bank
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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. foot — a measure
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. spell — a short time
  7. kick — in football
  8. file — a document
  9. plane — a tool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pit — in a race
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pit — a hole
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. fan — to cool the air

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