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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. staff — employees
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. file — a tool
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. rash — hasty
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. can — a tin
  14. rash — a series
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. file — a line of people
  19. can — a tin
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mark — a trace
  22. staff — employees
  23. file — a document
  24. mine — for digging

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