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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: pit · straw · shower · sharp · root · lash · rule · kick

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. root — the cause
  3. shower — to wash
  4. pit — a hole
  5. kick — in football
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rule — a law
  12. sharp — clever
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. pit — in a race
  18. root — of a word
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. rule — government
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. sharp — with an edge

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