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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. saw — the tool
  3. kick — in football
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mug — to rob
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. mug — a face
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bound — tied together
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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