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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. drill — the tool
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. file — a tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. squash — the sport
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pop — soda
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. squash — to crush
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. drill — army training
  22. spell — letters
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. file — a document

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