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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pop — to visit
  4. tube — a container
  5. track — a path
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pop — soda
  9. chair — a leader
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. tube — the underground
  12. kick — in football
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. chest — a box
  18. pop — music
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. track — to keep track
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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