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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. tube — a container
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. toast — bread
  8. pop — to visit
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pop — soda
  13. hand — help
  14. tube — the underground
  15. kick — in football
  16. fork — in a road
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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