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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — clothes
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. file — a tool
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. last — to go on
  9. mate — a partner
  10. spring — of water
  11. field — for sport
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. spring — a coil
  14. file — a document
  15. chip — for betting
  16. last — finally
  17. field — farmland
  18. suit — in cards
  19. field — a subject
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. spring — the season
  24. last — final

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