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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bound — obliged
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. kick — in football
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. degree — an amount
  11. file — a document
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. file — a tool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. degree — from a university
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. file — a line of people
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. lash — to lash out

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