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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. file — a document
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. object — to protest
  5. file — a tool
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bark — to shout
  9. object — a thing
  10. pop — to visit
  11. dip — to sink
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pop — music
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pop — soda
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wind — moving air
  23. file — a line of people
  24. object — an aim

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