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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. file — a tool
  5. bear — the animal
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bear — the animal
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. file — a line of people
  12. toast — bread
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pitch — completely
  24. file — a document

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