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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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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. wound — an injury
  5. file — a line of people
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. board — a committee
  10. kick — in football
  11. board — to get on
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pop — music
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. file — a tool
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pop — soda
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. wound — an injury
  24. racket — for tennis

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