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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. suit — to fit
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. club — a group
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. suit — in cards
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. suit — clothes
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. club — for golf
  15. file — a tool
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. lie — to recline
  18. club — for dancing
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. hand — help
  22. file — a document
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. kick — in football

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