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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: chest · rock · last · lash · rule · bound · bark · pit

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. chest — a box
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. last — finally
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rock — music
  8. bound — certain
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rule — a law
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. last — final
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pit — in a race
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. chest — of your body
  23. last — to go on
  24. rule — government

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