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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: pop · kick · file · club · snap · mouse · rash · leaves

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pop — soda
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rash — a series
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. club — for golf
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. file — a line of people
  16. snap — to click
  17. file — a tool
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pop — to visit
  21. club — a group
  22. rash — hasty
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pop — music

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