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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. file — a tool
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. season — in sport
  5. file — a document
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fall — the season
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. face — to confront
  11. present — a gift
  12. face — part of the head
  13. present — the time now
  14. rule — government
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rule — a law
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. present — there
  20. wind — moving air
  21. kick — in football
  22. file — a line of people
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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