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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bass — low music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bass — the fish
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kick — in football
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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