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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 do anything ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rash — a series
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mug — to rob
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rush — hurry
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. face — to confront
  17. kick — in football
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. face — part of the head
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  24. coach — a trainer

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