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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 120 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: staff · chest · kick · lash · rash · deal · rush · firm

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. chest — a box
  10. staff — employees
  11. firm — steady
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. firm — a company
  15. staff — a stick
  16. firm — decided
  17. kick — in football
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. chest — of your body
  21. staff — employees
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rash — a series
  24. rush — a thrill

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