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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cell — in biology
  6. deal — to handle
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. cell — a phone
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. clip — to cut
  14. kick — in football
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. ground — a position
  17. court — of law
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. ground — the earth

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