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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. rock — a stone
  3. chest — a box
  4. chip — to eat
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. rock — music
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mine — for digging
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chip — for betting
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. chest — of your body

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