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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: row · file · chair · kick · nail · calf · sharp · root

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. file — a tool
  3. kick — in football
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. row — a line
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. file — a document
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. chair — a leader
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. sharp — clever
  15. row — to paddle
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. file — a line of people
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. root — of a word
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chair — a professorship

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