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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. lean — to bend
  3. court — of a king
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. file — a line of people
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. court — of law
  11. pit — in a race
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pit — a hole
  14. file — a document
  15. court — for sport
  16. kick — in football
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. sharp — clever
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. lean — thin
  24. sharp — with an edge

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