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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. content — happy
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. foot — a measure
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. fall — the season
  24. cabinet — ministers

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