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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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Word bank
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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: trunk · pop · rush · rash · chair · fall · toast · kick

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. fall — the season
  11. chair — a leader
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pop — music
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. toast — bread
  22. rush — hurry
  23. kick — in football
  24. rash — a series

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