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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: rest · kick · track · cell · land · current · file · shower

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. rest — what's left
  4. file — a document
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. file — a tool
  8. cell — a phone
  9. land — a country
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rest — what's left
  12. land — to come down
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. land — ground
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. track — a song
  18. current — of water
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cell — in biology
  21. shower — rain
  22. rest — a break
  23. track — a path
  24. kick — with a leg

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