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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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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: file · track · calf · wind · kick · field · saw · cabinet

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — in football
  3. saw — the tool
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. file — a tool
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. file — a document
  12. track — to keep track
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — farmland
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wind — moving air
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. calf — a young animal

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