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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. lash — to lash out
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. rule — government
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rule — a law
  8. chest — a box
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bulb — for light
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. fall — to drop
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chest — of your body
  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