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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · fall · kid · season · fine · rash · leaves · club

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kid — to tease
  4. club — for golf
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. file — a line of people
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fine — all right
  15. file — a document
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. file — a tool
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rash — hasty
  23. club — a group
  24. leaves — to go away

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