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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: suit · sharp · kick · lie · bark · pit · cold · lash

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pit — in a race
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pit — a hole
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cold — an illness
  18. kick — in football
  19. suit — in cards
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. suit — clothes
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. lash — an eyelash

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