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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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 — in football
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. root — of a word
  4. rash — hasty
  5. file — a document
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rash — a series
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. root — of a plant
  11. file — a tool
  12. bat — the animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pit — in a race
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. root — the cause
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bank — for money
  20. pit — a hole
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. kick — with a leg
  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