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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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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: content · file · bound · kick · pass · wind · racket · arm

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bound — tied together
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. content — happy
  13. kick — in football
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. file — a document
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bound — obliged
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bound — certain
  24. file — a line of people

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