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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cap — a hat
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. root — of a word
  5. kick — in football
  6. last — final
  7. track — a song
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cue — a hint
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. track — a path
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cue — a signal
  16. root — of a plant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. last — to go on
  20. cue — for pool
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. last — finally
  23. root — the cause
  24. cap — of ice

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