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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 120 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: mate · pop · foot · arm · file · kick · ball · face

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. mate — to breed
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. foot — a measure
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pop — music
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. file — a tool
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. kick — in football
  13. face — to confront
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mate — a partner
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pop — to visit
  20. ball — a great time
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. mate — a friend
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pop — soda

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