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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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Word bank
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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. saw — the tool
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. kick — in football
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a leader
  12. tube — a container
  13. present — the time now
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. rush — hurry
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — there
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. lash — an eyelash

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