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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 120 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. capital — a city
  4. root — the cause
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. tube — a container
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — clothes
  9. tube — the underground
  10. root — of a word
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cell — in biology
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. root — of a plant
  15. suit — to fit
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. kick — in football
  22. rash — a series
  23. capital — money
  24. cell — a phone

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