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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cell — in biology
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rock — a stone
  6. march — the month
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. rock — music
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. march — the month
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. kick — in football
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. march — music

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