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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. drill — a practice
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. drill — army training
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wind — moving air
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fine — all right
  15. wind — moving air
  16. file — a document
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. drill — the tool
  21. fine — high quality
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. mark — a trace

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