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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rule — government
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. vault — a safe
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. spring — the season
  15. rule — a law
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. spring — a coil
  21. kick — in football
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spring — of water

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