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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 116 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. drill — army training
  8. squash — to crush
  9. drill — a practice
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. lean — thin
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. scale — in music
  19. file — a document
  20. drill — the tool
  21. squash — the sport
  22. scale — size or range
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. kick — with a leg

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