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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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Word bank
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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: ball · arm · net · last · kick · file · craft · root

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. craft — a skill
  3. file — a line of people
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. file — a document
  6. last — to go on
  7. file — a tool
  8. root — of a word
  9. last — finally
  10. root — of a plant
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. root — the cause
  13. ball — a dance
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. net — for catching
  17. ball — a great time
  18. last — final
  19. kick — in football
  20. net — after costs
  21. craft — boats
  22. net — in sport
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. arm — a part of something

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