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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. file — a document
  7. rest — a break
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wound — an injury
  11. file — a tool
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. perch — the fish
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. kick — in football
  20. wound — an injury
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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