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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fall — the season
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. kick — in football
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fall — to drop
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fall — to drop

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