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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. spell — magic
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. vault — a safe
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. root — of a word
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. kick — in football
  15. rest — a break
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spell — a short time
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. root — the cause

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