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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mark — a trace
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. kick — in football
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mine — for digging
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pound — a weight
  24. squash — to crush

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