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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: file · arm · hand · kick · wind · mark · chair · season

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kick — in football
  7. hand — help
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. file — a line of people
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mark — a grade
  14. season — in sport
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wind — moving air
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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