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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. row — a line
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. present — a gift
  17. prune — to trim
  18. march — the month
  19. kick — in football
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. track — a song
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. row — to paddle
  24. present — there

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