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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: lie · lean · roll · pass · file · kick · bat · rush

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pass — a permit
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. roll — a list
  10. kick — in football
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rush — hurry
  14. lean — thin
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bat — the animal
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. lean — to bend
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. lie — to recline
  24. rush — to hurry

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