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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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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. kick — in football
  3. net — after costs
  4. swing — music
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. net — for catching
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. net — in sport
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. vault — a safe
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. swing — in golf
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bark — to shout

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