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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 · bear · kick · fan · chip · date · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. chip — for betting
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. file — a tool
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rest — a break
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. file — a document
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. kick — in football
  20. row — a line
  21. date — the fruit
  22. row — to paddle
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fan — to cool the air

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