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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: chair · face · trunk · temple · rash · lash · kick · fork

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. kick — in football
  5. rash — a series
  6. face — part of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. face — to point toward
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. face — to confront
  19. fork — in a road
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. rash — hasty
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fork — a garden tool

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