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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · file · chest · drill · mug · kick · chair · lash

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. kick — in football
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. chest — of your body
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mug — a face
  11. drill — army training
  12. file — a line of people
  13. root — the cause
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. file — a tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mug — a cup
  20. file — a document
  21. mug — to rob
  22. root — of a plant
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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