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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 120 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: kick · current · rest · fan · file · fall · foot · court

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. file — a line of people
  5. court — of a king
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. foot — a measure
  8. fall — the season
  9. current — happening now
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. current — electric
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. kick — in football
  17. current — of water
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. file — a document
  20. court — of law
  21. fall — to drop
  22. court — for sport
  23. file — a tool
  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