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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 116 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: spell · rest · kid · staff · swing · file · racket · lie

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kid — child
  5. file — a line of people
  6. spell — magic
  7. kid — to tease
  8. swing — in golf
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. spell — a short time
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. file — a tool
  15. rest — a break
  16. staff — employees
  17. file — a document
  18. spell — letters
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rest — what's left
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. lie — to recline
  24. racket — for tennis

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