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

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. last — to go on
  6. kick — in football
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. last — final
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. last — finally

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