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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rule — a law
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rule — government
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bear — the animal
  15. kick — in football
  16. rest — a break
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. spring — of water
  22. net — for catching
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. spring — the season

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