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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: lash · jam · prune · wind · toast · kick · court · chip

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wind — moving air
  3. kick — in football
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. toast — bread
  7. prune — to trim
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wind — moving air
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. chip — for betting
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. court — of law
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. toast — the most admired

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