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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pop — music
  3. rule — government
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bank — for money
  6. rule — a law
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. file — a tool
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bank — of a river
  16. kick — in football
  17. pop — soda
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bank — for money
  20. file — a document
  21. pop — to visit
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kick — with a leg

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