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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. present — the time now
  3. object — a thing
  4. kick — in football
  5. bank — for money
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rule — a law
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — to protest
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. present — there
  18. bank — of a river
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rule — government
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bank — for money
  24. present — a gift

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