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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — a law
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. drill — army training
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. rule — government
  11. prune — to trim
  12. clip — for paper
  13. current — happening now
  14. clip — a video
  15. current — electric
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. drill — a practice
  19. clip — to cut
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. current — of water
  22. kick — in football
  23. rush — hurry
  24. drill — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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