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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rest — what's left
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. clip — a video
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. toast — bread
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rest — a break
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. hand — help

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