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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. net — in sport
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. file — a tool
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. net — for catching
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bass — low music
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bass — the fish
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. net — after costs
  19. file — a document
  20. deal — to handle
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. chest — a box
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. leaves — to go away

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