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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. chip — for betting
  4. fine — all right
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. court — for sport
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. toast — bread
  11. court — of a king
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. foot — a measure
  16. fine — high quality
  17. court — of law
  18. chip — to eat
  19. kick — in football
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — not warm

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