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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: file · kick · ruler · chip · wind · season · fall · lean

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. kick — in football
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. file — a line of people
  7. chip — to eat
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lean — to bend
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. fall — the season
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chip — for betting
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. file — a tool
  20. lean — thin
  21. file — a document
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. fall — to drop

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