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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. track — a song
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. file — a tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bear — the animal
  8. track — to keep track
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. bear — the animal
  13. scale — size or range
  14. track — a path
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — in football
  20. scale — in music
  21. toast — bread
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bear — to put up with

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