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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 · kick · root · suit · bark · rash · fall · rest

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. root — the cause
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — in a race
  8. fall — the season
  9. rest — a break
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bark — to shout
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. suit — in cards
  16. rest — what's left
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. root — of a word
  24. kick — in football

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