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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · row · kick · roll · fall · track · date · pound

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. row — a line
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. pound — a weight
  8. row — to paddle
  9. roll — a list
  10. track — a song
  11. file — a document
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. date — the fruit
  14. file — a line of people
  15. fall — to drop
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. track — to keep track
  18. roll — a cake
  19. track — a path
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. file — a tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. kick — in football

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