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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. suit — clothes
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. kick — in football
  8. perch — the fish
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. suit — to fit
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wound — an injury
  14. face — part of the head
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. face — to point toward
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. suit — in cards
  20. wound — an injury
  21. face — to confront
  22. file — a tool
  23. tube — a container
  24. racket — a loud noise

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