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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. rush — a thrill
  2. chest — a box
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. vault — a safe
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. chest — of your body
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rush — hurry
  12. chest — of your body
  13. kick — in football
  14. branch — a division
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fall — to drop
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. fall — the season
  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