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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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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. kick — in football
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fall — the season
  14. rush — hurry
  15. toast — bread
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. fall — to drop
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. chair — to sit on

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