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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. cue — a signal
  5. rule — government
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rash — hasty
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — a series
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. rule — to rule out

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