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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. lean — thin
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. rule — a law
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. squash — the sport
  10. kick — in football
  11. rule — government
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. land — a country
  19. lean — to bend
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. squash — the vegetable

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