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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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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: club · file · kick · mug · current · tear · ruler · pit

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mug — a face
  5. club — for golf
  6. mug — a cup
  7. file — a document
  8. current — of water
  9. kick — in football
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mug — to rob
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. file — a tool
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. current — happening now
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. tear — from crying
  19. current — electric
  20. tear — to rip
  21. club — a group
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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