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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. chip — for betting
  3. track — a song
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. file — a document
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. season — of the year
  9. chip — to eat
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. season — in sport
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. kick — in football
  24. saw — the tool

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