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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  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. rest — what's left
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cap — a hat
  5. sharp — clever
  6. rule — a law
  7. rest — a break
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. cap — a lid
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cap — of ice
  15. band — a music group
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. branch — a division
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rule — government
  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