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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. kick — in football
  3. rest — what's left
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rest — what's left
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. degree — temperature
  9. toast — bread
  10. chest — of your body
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. degree — an amount
  13. branch — a division
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wind — moving air
  17. degree — from a university
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. rest — a break

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